Run Clever Boy
by impossible123
Summary: [Spoilers to Name of the Doctor] Elevenclara sequel to The Infinite Girl and Sacred Memory. Prepare for more angst and fluff
1. Clara-Elle Oswald

_**A/N: An elevenclara sequel to**_ **The Infinite Girl _and_ Sacred Memory _, as promised_. **_**Hope you enjoy this first chapter :D**_

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 _The girl woke up with a fright._

 _All she remembered was being taken away by cyborgs after they forced her to help them with acquiring new worlds for slavery. She was taken away from her parents, who could do nothing but watch her being taken prisoner. Her head throbbed from the hit to knock her unconscious._

 _The cell was fairly large and somewhat lit by the suns the ship she was on was travelling in orbit around. But the girl couldn't see anything... She was blindfolded._

 _She was lying in a corner, resting against the wall on her left hand side. The woman stirred._

 _"Well that's good. You're awake." She heard to her right. The girl jumped._

She thought she was alone.

 _"Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you. I just got tired of being alone for so long until you got up." The voice continued._

 _"Who are you?" The girl asked._

 _"The Doctor."_

 _"Oh..." She breathed a laugh. "A doctor."_

 _"No. I am_ the _Doctor." The manly voice continued. "I'm tied... like you. So not much I can do, I'm afraid." But the name troubled the girl. "Just... the Doctor." She said. "Yup." He said with a cheery tone. Relatively contrary to how the female prisoner was feeling. Yet, the man intrigued her so much. "Doctor Who?" He laughed._

 _"Dangerous question." The Doctor said. "I'm not afraid of anything, you know." The girl said._

She didn't really sound like it, he thought. She had the voice of a girl trying to look frightening, but was still scared on the inside. But brave.

Always brave.

 _After some time._

 _"Looks like we're stuck..." The girl pointed out, as she tried her best to release herself from the bounds, with no success._

 _"Who are you?" The Doctor asked as the girl was groaning as she tried to slither her wrists out of the ropes. She stopped and looked at the direction she heard she had heard the voice. "Clara." The girl said. "Clara-Elle Oswald." "Planet?" The man continued to ask. "Earth." She explained. "Was taken for knowledge and statistics about alien life. Want to invade the world, these creatures." The girl snarled. Just their looks made her feel disgusted. "Looks so." The Doctor sighed._

 _After some time, Clara broke the silence with had filled the cell. "I don't assume you're human."_

 _"Time Lord, in fact." The Doctor said._

 _The two were once again enveloped in the much dreaded silence, so Clara decided to take matters in her hands. She wanted to get out, as fast as possible, and the Doctor was too calm to even do anything to escape. And she was fed up of it. She was going to move near the Doctor to explore the surroundings when she hit something sharp and metallic._

A hook!

 _A cheeky smile formed on her face. She hurriedly cut the rope that tied her hand slowly, and slipped the blindfold off her eyes._

 _There was the Doctor... Looked like a 30 year old, wearing a light brown blazer, a red bowtie and ruffled (relatively short) brown hair._

 _He too was blindfolded and his hands were tied behind his back like hers were._

 _The hook was loose, so she took it._

 _She ran towards him_

 _"Give me your arms."_

 _"Why?" But he obeyed, turning his back to her._

 _She cut his rope. "This is why."_

 _He took his blindfold off too and threw it to the floor._

 _Ancient, broken soul masked by a young, vibrant man... Looking like a child at heart._

 _"Great." As he rubbed his hands together. "How are we going to get out? Don't have my sonic screwdriver so-"_

 _"But I have a hairpin." She cheekily smiled, as she took it out of her silky hair. It was holding her relatively long fringe, even though her long brown hair was untied._

 _She played with the lock for a few seconds until it was opened._

 _"Primitive creatures. Used to play with locks to escape my bedroom." The girl smiled, feeling very proud of herself._

 _"Very well, Clara." The Doctor too seemed satisfied with a weak smile on her face. "Seems you have more to offer than you in fact look." Clara's smile soon faded. "I may be a short 24 year old, but I am good as any other man of my age, and I'm going to kick the breath out of you if you offend me once more." She walked outside into the corridor. "You're like all the rest, apparently." Clara mumbled._

 _The Doctor stepped out after her... And an alarm sound._

 _"Shoot..." Clara grumbled, as she hurried to look at the door. "Laser detectors." The Doctor breathed. "Not as primitive after all." Clara thought out loud. "A disguise." The Doctor said._

 _They ran to the end of the corridor. The creatures were approaching, armed. The other side too. There was no escape except if they were to fight._

 _"Do you know where your TARDIS is?" Clara said to the Doctor. "Yes." He was soon to reply as they moved back trying to avoid the cyborgs which moved towards them, as did those behind them._

 _"Go. Attack," as she handed him a rod of scrap metal from the many found on the floor. "Go find you screwdriver and get out of here."_

 _"What about you?" The Doctor wouldn't leave her alone. It was almost like she dooming herself to her own death. A death sentence._

 _"Just run... I'll keep them away as long as I can." Clara said out of breath, because of the panic that took over her rather than the running. She was used to running._

 _"I'll come back." Said the Doctor. "No... You go..." Clara continued. She felt that the Doctor was too important to be killed. He had to spare his own life, even if it meant..._

 _He was still uncertain..._

 _"RUN!" She exclaimed. And he did as he was told._

 _"Dispose of her..." The leader of the cyborgs aboard the ship commanded. "There are many more like her in the Universe. Bring me the Doctor alive!"_

 _Clara couldn't hold her sass..._

 _"Sorry..." As she held the crowbar ready for battle. "But I'm limited edition" She smiled one of her own cheeky smile. Armed with the crowbar she had found on the floor, she fought the monsters all alone, using all her outwardly strength... And she could... There were only a handful. She grabbed two swords from a fallen creature and continued to fight, slicing limbs and gabbing the creatures, seeing the sizzle of electric shocks from the wires that made up the cyborg_

 _She was really getting the hang of it, and fought as if it was second nature to her._

Hope the Doctor saved himself... Clara thought.

She felt it depended on him to save the Universe, even if he left her all alone against a spaceship full of deadly creatures.

And it depended on her to save him.

Even with her life...

She had to find her way out of this situation.

After all... She knew that these creatures had small ships... Like lifeboats on a normal ship. After all... She felt so independent...

But she had a terrible gut feeling that she wouldn't survive... She sent her goodbye thoughts home...

 _More were coming... And these were larger, more robust..._

 _They were slowly outnumbering her... She couldn't keep up..._ _Surrounded._

 _Clara gasped as she felt a dagger through her stomach._

 _"Let her die in pain." The cyborg leader said._

 _It kicked her against the wall and left her unconscious, bleeding profusely, while the beings went to find the Doctor._


	2. Born to Save You

_A few minutes later, the sound of the TARDIS was heard, which materialised perfectly where the girl was lying._

 _He took off and rushed near the unconscious girl._

Why is it always like that?

Why do people have to die just so he continues to live?

 _The Doctor gently slithered an arm under her knees and another around her torso, heaving her up as gently as possible. He hugged her tighter to his chest, trying is best to keep her warm, as his beige blazer began taking up the crimson hue._ _She opened her eyes, once they arrived into the infirmary and laid her on the metallic inspection bench._

 _"You came back..." Her voice trailed off as Clara took painful breaths, one shorter than the next, almost panicking for unfinished business. Yet, she still let her hand through his soft hair, her lips curling into a small yet sweet smile._ _"Hey, hey it's fine... Just hold on for a little longer, it will be fine. I promise." He_ _consoled her as the time lord_ _took her hand in his while smoothing her forehead with the other._

 _His lips curled into a sad smile._

Rule 1: The Doctor lies...

 _Clara began calming down._ _"Were there any others... On the ship?" She breathed._ _"No... Just us..." He said as the Doctor let the tips of his fingers trace her forehead. "I x-rayed the ship with the TARDIS while coming to take you. All the creatures are gone. Initiated the self-destruct system. Should've blown up a few seconds after we left." Clara sighed in relief. She glanced to the stars above her. The girl always thought she had a place with the stars. Ever since she was just a little girl, she used to spend hours glancing at the twinkling lights. The Doctor interrupted the fleeting thoughts. "It's going to hurt a bit." He said. Yet, she never stopped looking at the stars. They were her only comfort, even if her eyes were filling with tears. Her hand found the Doctor's and delicately wrapped around it. The Doctor smoothed her hand as he pressed a white cloth to the profusely bleeding wound, hoping it could stop the excessive blood loss._

 _She shouted in pain, her hand squeezing the Doctor's, tears streaming down her temples. The Doctor tried his best to calm her down the best he could. But she finally did._

 _After some time, Clara breathed a laugh. "I was wrong... About you. You're not like the rest." Her voice was weaker. She finally turned to look at him. The Doctor smiled sadly. "You're broken... lost so much. And yet... So kind."_

 _His smile faded from his face as he tried to divert the conversation away from his losses."Don't talk much, you'll make it worse. But I'll heal you." The Doctor said as he switched on the monitors nearby to watch the stats. "I won't get any better." She soon turned to the stars, trying her utmost to find consolation_

 _"No, I will bring you back to health. Just don't give up." He was frustrated_ _because h_ _e_ _knew it was his duty_ _to save her._ _The Doctor_ _frantically looked through the tools in the closet and grabbed the things he needed. But then, the time lord could just hear her weak_ _, shaking_ _voice, "It's too bad. I know it is."_

 _The Doctor's eyes filled with tears, as he stopped scrambling in the surgical tools closet. He kept gazing at the bench under it where he rested his hands in defeat. She had surrendered. They both knew there was nothing to be done, even if he was trying everything to keep her spirits up._

 _Clara was bleeding to death and he could do nothing._

Hope... A terrible thing...

 _He did his best to hide it from her, but seemed as if she had know him for a lifetime... All his lifetimes... To her, he was an open book._

 _And there was nothing he could do to stop her from healing him._

 _She swallowed a wave of pain as yet another tear streaked down._

 _It was her end... There was nothing she could do._

You shall be remembered, Clara-Elle Oswald... You've saved the most important man in the Universe... The Saver of Worlds...

 _The Doctor_ _couldn't help but notice that_ _she was also hiding her emotions... A part of her was trying to be brave, but he noticed she was very frightened and in pain. He kneeled near her, to calm her. "You saved me. You held them back, gave me a chance to go and find my TARDIS and sonic... I came too late... I was coming back for you... " His voice trailed away as he bowed his head in shame. "You did." The girl smiled._

 _She looked upward. The ceiling was as clear as glass, showing the soothing sight of far away galaxies and nearby stars. "Stars," Clara breathed_ _as her lips curled into a bright smile and her glazing eyes reflected the night's sky... Such a beautiful sight_ _. Tears began forming; the pain, the emotions... "So many. All still alive because of you."_

 _The girl swallowed hard._

It's time.

 _"I will find you again Doctor. We... We will meet again." She slowly slipped her hand into his. Clara looked at him in the eye._ _"But never-" she stopped to inhale in agony. Clara felt that her end was very near... Now more than ever. "-stop saving the Universe. It needs you. And I will be there. Run, you clever boy." She inhaled one last breath as tears slithered down to her temples_

 _"And rememb..." Her voice trailed off as her body went limp._

You can rest now, warrior.

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 _ **A/N: Hoping to update asap :D Till then take care :D**_


	3. It's a Dream, Clara

_**A/N- sorry I took so long to update this story. Here's a new chapter :D**_

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 _Clara?_

 _Clara?!_

"CLARA!"

She woke up in shock, short of breath, her eyes inflated and large. The Doctor was in front of her, eyes wide in worry, holding a cool cloth he had used to cool her forehead, shaking her to wake up.

"Hey, it's fine. Just a dream."

He placed the cloth back in the bowl. The time lord picked her up and hugged her as Clara tried to calm down her hurried breath, as she felt sweat on her face and hair. He soon felt two trembling hands slowly and weakly slither up his back. "You're going to be ok." The Doctor ran his fingers down her slightly damp hair. "It was just a dream..." He whispered repeatedly in her ear. "A dream..."

He pulled her away once he felt she was... Somewhat... Fine.

Clara looked downwards in embarrassment of having interrupted the Doctor. The companion could only imagine how the time lord knew how she was dreaming about one of her echoes... Quite probably screaming her lungs out before the Doctor woke her up from the nightmare.

"Who was it?" The Time Lord asked. "No one." Muttered the companion. She felt uneasy. She didn't want to reopen barely closed wounds and explode into tears. "Tell me." Pleaded the Doctor. "I _need_ to know."

After some time thinking, Clara finally replied. "It was you." Her eyes shut closed and her forehead wrinkled as she tried to remember all the details of the dream, or rather, Clara-Elle Oswald's final moments. "You were there; the bowtie and scruffy hair. Cyborgs. Spaceship." Clara stopped to think again before she continued. "We were captured... Both of us." Tears began filling her eyes as she started to remember; almost feeling the pain Clara-Elle Oswald had felt after she got stabbed by the cyborgs... just to protect the Doctor. He hugged her again, feeling her hot breath and tears against his chest. "It's fine. It wasn't you. You're still alive Clara..." He shushed her as she sobbed, slowly calming the girl down.

After some time, the Doctor broke the silence. "It was Clara- Elle Oswald, right?" She pulled herself away. "You remember her?" She sniffed. The Doctor looked into her huge, troubled, bloodshot brown orbs. "Yes, I do. I remember them." The Doctor looked uneasy as he spoke, yet it didn't stop him from brushing off the tears from her cheeks on the most delicate way. "Well... I think I know some of them. I don't know how many there were. Probably I never met some of your echoes even tried to save my life..." The Doctor's voice trailed away as he realised what a great sacrifice it had to be for each and every echo to give their life to the time lord, even if it meant never being acknowledged. He rubbed his hands each other. "I saw so many echoes it that Timestream..." Said Clara. "More than I can even count." She noticed that the Doctor was silently crying, his head titled forwards in shame. "Hey." She wiped his cheek with the back if her hand. "We did it for you. Every single echo died for you. And I was ready to do the same in the time stream. The fact that you're still alive is more than appreciative. Everyone of my echoes died in peace, because they knew they were saving the Universe." The Doctor looked into Clara's enlarged eyes. Her lips curled into a weak smile. "And if I were to jump in your timestream again and be ripped apart another time, I wouldn't hesitate, regardless of the all pain and the nightmares." He noticed that Clara didn't say that just because, but only because she meant it. The look in her eyes never betrayed her. The Doctor smiled.

Clara shivered slightly. The Doctor smiled weakly as he combed Clara's damp hair with his long fingers. "Looks like you need to rest a little more." The Doctor woke up from the bed. But Clara's eyes widened and grabbed his sleeved. "No, please Doctor. Don't leave me." She insisted, shaking her head, refusing to holding back the tears. The Doctor's sweet, caring smile faded as he gazed upon his companion; helpless, afraid, so dependent in comparison to how he knew her before Trenzalore. He gently sat down on her bed once more, as Clara's tight hold on the garment loosened. "Oh, Clara. What did I do to you?" The time lord said as he stroked Clara's cheek with the back of his hand. The girl moved towards the hand, humming at the pleasing stokes. He spent a few minutes doing so before cupping both hands on her cheeks and pressed a long kiss to her forehead. The Doctor soon pulled away, staring at her eyes immersed in tears... Ocean eyes. "I want to get up." Clara broke the silence after a few moments.

The time lord sighed. Not that he didn't want her to get up, but he was scared of Clara being to fragile in such a state. She needed all the rest she could get. But after all, she had been so much time stuck in her bedroom asleep that she was most probably fed up.

"Please." He heard her feeble voice. The Doctor smiled sadly. "Alright then." Her thin lips also curled slightly into a smile; Clara felt happy to get out from her bedroom. He took off the sheets, and helped Clara, who was still in her pyjamas, to get on her feet, before helping her walk to the nearest velvet crimson wall. She had always wanted a velvet wall, but it was a wish that no one was able to grant for her on Earth. Well at least, the TARDIS did, so she feeling quite thankful to the time machine.

"Fine?" Asked the Doctor."Yeah, I'm OK." The companion confirmed, holding on to the wall.

He took a new bedsheet from the wardrobe, the softest he could find and wrapped it around the slightly trembling girl before he heaved her up in a bridal style manner, taking her to the console room. The Doctor helped her sit on the console chair. "Be back in a mo." He smiled. Clara smiled in return.

So Clara was left by herself, swinging her feet back and fro.

"Do you like me now?" She said teasingly. The TARDIS grunted. "I know you don't like me, but may I remind you that I... Well actually not me... But I was the one who told the Doctor to choose you, old cow." She giggled, and the TARDIS gave in. She had seen Clara's suffering and finally, in some way or another, began tolerating Clara even more, but not that she fully accepted the companion.

The Doctor came back with two hot chocolates topped off with marshmallows and settled them onto the console. He opened the TARDIS' doors, revealing a large nebula, surrounded with millions of stars... A galaxy waiting to flourish. The companion gasped. It was amazing; all the colours merged into one gas cloud, its shape... Its beauty. The Doctor helped Clara sit up from the seat. Her hand curled around his waist as his curled delicately around her shoulders. He held his Impossible Girl's hand with his other hand and slowly guided her towards the edge of the TARDIS.

Clara was amazed by the sight outside, but the time lord was mesmerised by her. His Impossible Girl was right next to him. He could feel her feeble form pressing against his side. She was alive and well and that was all that mattered. The Doctor helped Clara sit on the edge of the time machine. The companion's bare feet kept on swinging in the void of space. He joined her and handed her a warm cup. Clara inhaled the soothing smell of cocoa. At least that was the only sensation that reminded her of nothing, not even her echoes. It was a warm sensation of warmth... And Christmas. Just Christmas. No deaths.

"It's beautiful, Doctor!" She exclaimed with great enthusiasm.

"Brought you especially to this. The birth of a galaxy." The Doctor explained. "One of the purest things in the Universe."

Clara began sipping her hot chocolate, occasionally munching a marshmallow as she heard him attentively.

The Doctor's voice... How she loved it. He was her comfort, her protector, the one man she trusted blindly (apart from her father). Yet, he was the source of her echoes' deaths. But that never bothered her, no matter how many times she dies in her dreams, she would always consider the Doctor, her Doctor. And she was ready to sacrifice herself for him again, and again, and again.

Because he would do the same for the world.

"It truly is beautiful." She agreed after a while, still mesmerised by the sight.

The silence between them, only filled by some of the TARDIS hums, annoyed Clara greatly. "So somewhere, out there..." The companion began. "There are echoes; born, living, waiting for you... To save you."

"Probably." He muttered as his gaze drops down every time she mentions the echoes.

"Is that how you found me?" Clara asked. "By my echoes?"

The sound of the TARDIS' hums conquered the console room once again, before the Doctor decided to tell the Impossible Girl her tale. Their tale; hers and the Doctor's... Every time. "I met I met so many echoes before I started to notice something in common about them; Claire, Oswald, Clara-Elle, before I encountered Oswin." He replied uneasily. Yet he breathed a laugh. "The souffle girl." His smile faded. "Met her just before the previous companions left. Then I found Clara Oswin Oswald, in a moment where I felt alone and full of guilt. Didn't know her full name until I read the headstone. I had to find you. I knew something impossible was going on." The Doctor's smile faded. "They had died because of me." Tears crawled down his young cheeks. "The Great Intelligence robbed their lives instead of mine." He felt an arm slithering under his before feeling Clara's hand slipping into the Doctor's, fingers intertwined. They looked at each other, the Impossible Girl threatening to enter into those large broken eyes of his. "They were all very happy to save you, Doctor. They died peacefully. Oswin, for example, if it weren't for you she would be still stuck believing that she had been a human all along. She accepted it and offered to die, Doctor. Died as a human, thanks to you. They were your savers so you could go on; travel the Universe in your big blue box and save worlds." She smiled. "To be a doctor." Clara breathed. The time lord smiled at her words, his thin lips curling as teardrops kept on pouring out of his puppy dog eyes. Clara pressed a long yet sweet kiss on his cheek, feeling his wet skin, tasting the saltiness of the shed tears, whilst still holding her mug half full of the cocoa brew. She soon leaned against the Doctor, placing her head on his shoulder as she felt his arm slither around her, enveloping her in his warmth, both gazing at the endless sight of faraway stars and the large cloud of cloud and gas; a chaos giving birth to such magnificence, beauty and controlled fury of stars. "Thank you Doctor. For everything." She purred. The Doctor pressed a gentle kiss in her hair. "No. Thank _you_ , my Impossible Girl."

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 _ **A/N- hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated :) Will update asap. Till then take care, dear readers :D**_


	4. Where I belong

_**A/N: New chapter (kind of longer than usual...). Hope you enjoy it (apart from some angst... As usual xD)**_

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"Are you sure you want to do this, Clara?" The Doctor asked as he worriedly tapped in the coordinates to the Maitland household. "Yeah." She said weakly. The companion on the other side of the console. "It's been only 6 days, Clara. I'm worried about you." He replied as the time lord pulled down the lever. The bright light pulsated in rhythm with the groaning sound of the TARDIS before it all stopped as he pulled it back up again. She took her handbag from the jumpseat. The Doctor looked at her, still so very pale, so very troubled. "Are you _sure_ you're going to be ok?" He walked towards his companion, before stopping in front of her and rubbing his palms against her arms. "Positive." Said Clara, trying her best to force the most genuine looking smile.

They looked at each other. Both were vulnerable in their own way. It looked as if no one wanted to let the other go, for the sake of what had happened a few days earlier.

The Doctor let his arms curl around her small figure, pulling her against him. Clara let hers (one which was still holding the bag) around his waist, burying her face in his tweed. "You know you don't have to do this, Clara." He breathed softly in her hair as the same Doctor rocked her minimally on the spot. "You'll never be a burden, my Impossible Girl. I am ready to take care of you for as long as you wish." He finished by kissing her coconut scented hair. She pulled away feebly, her eyes showing the slightest hint of crying. "I must, Doctor. I have to keep on living my life on Earth. I have to _know_ how I will have to adapt." The Doctor sighed. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you, at least for now?" The companion nodded as she once again forced a small smile, as so did the Doctor, who respected her decision. They soon parted, with Clara walking towards the door and the time lord following her. She looked behind her, leaving the door ajar as Doctor walked behind her and spoke to her once again. "I'll come back tomorrow, same time, Clara. Just to check that everything is fine... Let you settle in." He pressed one final kiss on her forehead, smoothing her unblemished cheek which had been streaked continuously with teardrops for the last 6 days. "Thank you, Doctor." Clara smiled a true from this time, one of thanks and appreciation to the man who was ready to sacrifice his own life to save her, even though he knew the risk very well. "Anything, my Impossible Girl." He purred. Clara soon detached herself from him, leaving the time machine. She stopped in front of the house door, holding the keys in hand. _You got this, Clara._ She breathed. _You can do it. It's just home. I'm back home, nothing to be scared about._ The Doctor, who was still watching over his companion did not interrupt her but let Clara take her time. She sighed before placing the key in the door lock and entered the house. She looked at the TARDIS whilst slowly closing the door, her lips curling into a weak and sad smile, as did the Doctor's. Clara was almost scared to close the door, to lock out the person who knows how to care for her best. But it was necessary that she took a short break from travelling until things settled down. Even the Doctor agreed to that. Well... Until her _mind_ settled down. But the time lord insisted that he would still visit her and also might have let the thought if taking her for a short trip slip... somewhere were his companion could relax from all the buzzing in her head.

But he wasn't ready to leave her striding alone.

Not now.

Not ever.

 _His Clara..._

...

The Maitland house's door shut with a bang.

Clara placed the keys on the table as she heard the TARDIS dematerialising.

 _Her chin boy._

A rush of memories came into her head as she lowered down her handbag on the table.

 _Is it a ship?_

 _Is there a kitchen?_

 _You'll poke someone's eye out._

 _Rescue me Chin boy and show me the stars._

Clara groaned and held her forehead as her head started to throb.

 _It'll pass... Eventually._

 _She hoped..._

It did, fortunately, only after a few seconds.

 _All she had to do was to stay away from anything that would remind her of the echoes. Right?_

 _Yeah._

But everything around her were part of the echoes. And every echo was a part of her.

Back to nanny business.

"Angie? Artie? Home yet?" She shouted.

 _Or was it Francesca and Dickby?_

 _No, no... It was surely Angie and Artie._

No answer...

Still at the cinema.

Her lips curled in a small smile.

Right on time Doctor.

And yet, at the Maitland household, it felt as if only a few hours had passed since she received the letter from Madame Vastra, where it all began. Her life had changed drastically since then.

 _And no one will ever get to know why._

She walked to the kitchen and filled the kettle.

 _So now she had to bare a smile and just move on like nothing happened on earth._

Clara placed the kettle on the stove and turned it on. She took out the creamer from the fridge and placed it on the dining table.

 _No one would understand her anyway..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the whistling kettle, before pouring the hot water into a cup having a teabag.

 _Everyone would think she's mad, telling them she has hundreds of different lives other than her own swirling in her head._

 _No. She won't go mad._

Clara walked to a drawer in the corridor and took out a box of migraine tablets.

 _These should do the trick!_

She popped two migraine tablets out from their bubble packets and left the box on the kitchen bench whilst placing the two tablets on the dining table near the creamer before sitting down, arms resting on the table, trying to let everything to sink in.

The Doctor let her take her time to recover. It felt as if she spent much more than 6 days in the TARDIS, constantly dreaming, dying, waking up in a fright. She did get better, somehow, but not quite. She didn't feel the same old bubbly Clara she once was. She felt so old, full of memories and experiences that weren't even hers. The companion had also felt somewhat homesick, longing for the simple life she had at home.

As the companion was silently pouring milk in her tea, the front door opened and closed silently, while small footsteps were heard.

"That film was soooo awesome, Angie."

"Shhhhh... Artie?! You'll blow everything up. Hope Clara's still asleep anyway. Let's stay downstairs and pretend nothing happened."

"Is the Doctor still here?"

"Probably he noticed and went near Clara. Bet those two are madly in live with each other."

"Human and alien... Ewwww.."

They suddenly stopped when they found Clara sitting near the kitchen table, with her fingers wrapped around the warm mug of sweet tea.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Said Clara quietly.

Artie hesitated "Uhh... Uh..." But the sister was quick to step in. "At Nina's, she needed help.. With homework." Angie lied. "And was it of any need to take your brother with you?" Clara replied. "The Doctor was here... Trying to take care of you two... And how come didn't you phone each other?" She didn't shout, Clara didn't have the strength to."It's... Uh... It's difficult to explain homework over a phone call." Angie hesitated just a bit, but continued to lie nonetheless. "She needed help with algebra. Besides," the girl shrugged her shoulders "it's only a few blocks away."

Clara gave them the suspecting look. She turned to Artie. "Had a great time watching the film?"

Artie was quick to answer, "Yea, it was so aweso-"

All glances were on him.

"Artie?" His sister threatened him in a whisper.

"Sorry..." He mumbled, looking at his feet in shame.

"Has the Doctor gone?" Angie asked roughly. "Yes." Clara said quietly. "And, to tell you the truth, he was quite offended by you two, leaving him alone whilst playing Blind Man's Buff. Not nice of you." They giggled. She didn't. She stayed with the same sad expression.

"Sorry, Clara." Artie said, noticing that she wasn't happy. After some time, he became concerned for his nanny and friend.

"What's wrong?" Artie went to sit down next to him, and his sister soon did the same. "You look pale." "Nothing. It's nothing." She continued to sip her tea and, remembering the tablets, popped them in her mouth and swallowed them simultaneously. "Were those... Migraine tablets?" The girl asked."Yes, Angie." Clara said uneasily. The throbbing in her head restarted weakly.

"Are you alright?" Said Artie. "You seem too pale." "I'm... I'm fine." Clara stuttered.

The throbbing soon began and she felt awfully dizzy.

 _Better those tablets kick in quickly._

Holding her forehead with both hands, the brother and sister felt concerned. Something happened after suddenly falling unconscious on the bed. She wasn't like that whilst making the soufflé, 3 hours earlier.

They were quite certain.

"Lie down, just a little, Clara." Said Angie, preoccupied.

And the nanny immediately accepted, walking feebly to the sofa before laying down, her head throbbing ever harder.

"Want us to call a doctor?" Exclaimed Artie. They started panicking slightly. "Artie, call the Doctor." The companion breathed.

"The TARDIS?" Exclaimed Angie.

She nodded whilst her eyebrows knitted in pain, feeling everything spinning around her...

 _The time winds... Whirling her mercilessly like a spinning top._

Clara felt sleepier, and sleepier and sleepier... falling... And falling . But it surely felt different than falling from a cloud with a pair of ice cold hands (quite literally) dragging her to earth.

"Doctor?" She heard Artie say in a muffled panicked voice. "Clara. She's-"

The Impossible Girl heard nothing more as all the pain started fading away and blackness overtook her.

* * *

 _ **A/N: feedback appreciated as always :D take care, will update asap :D**_


	5. The Doctor Will See You Now

_**A/N- please excuse me for taking longer than usual to update... I'm quite busy at the moment but hoping to update frequently :)**_

* * *

The sound of the time machine was heard right after Artie hung off the line; just mere seconds after Clara slipped to sleep. In fact, the TARDIS soon materialised snuggly in a corner of the kitchen. The door opened hastily and the Doctor exited, eyes wide open, frantically searching. He soon saw Clara lying on the sofa with Angie and Artie looking over her. "Clara!" He exclaimed before running to her, kneeling down near her, smoothing her forehead delicately with the tips of his fingers, thinking that she was now to fragile to be touched. But Clara was too tired and knocked out to respond to her Doctor's arrival.

"No no Clara. Not again." The time lord breathed desperately, caressing her cheeks.

How long had it been for the time lord?

Clara was still in the same dress as he had last seen her in; a black dress with small white polka dots. And the Doctor was _sure_ he had left his companion at the right date... Maybe mere seconds later but it wouldn't have made much of a difference; the Doctor knew it better than anyone. "Angie, how long has she been here?" Asked the Doctor worryingly as he took out the sonic from his blazer inner pocket and hovered the green light over the unconscious form of his companion. "We just came." The girl replied, with slight panic noticeable in her voice. "I... I think it was just a few minutes ago... Maybe 5?"

The buzzing sound of the sonic soon stopped and the time lord quickly placed the screwdriver back in his pocket. According to the sonic scan, she was normal, just an overload of senses to the brain which caused her to pass out. She was just in a _very_ deep sleep. He continued to smooth her forehead. "I should have never let you out of my sight, Clara." He pressed a sweet yet hurried kiss on her head.

Yet, he soon snapped out of his sorrow and delved into caring mode; delicately wrapping an arm around her torso and another around her knees, heaving her up as gently as possible. The children didn't even speak, especially Artie. He was too worried about Clara... Because he loved her and respected her with his heart. She was kind towards him, helped him with his homework and made him laugh all the time. But the Clara he talked to just a few seconds ago didn't seem the same old Clara he once knew before they went to the cinema. And he was quite sure that it wasn't _just_ about the two of them going to the cinema without permission (after all, Angie had dragged him into it).

"Come with me." He finally said to the kids as he rushed back to the TARDIS.

"How long has she been like this, Angie?" Said the Doctor as he rushed cautiously to the TARDIS, parked snuggly in a corner of the kitchen. "Artie close the door." The Gallifreyan pulled the lever and continued to the corridor. The children soon rushed after the Doctor. "We came around 5 minutes ago..." Angie started explaining, feeling confused herself. "Clara was there already, drinking tea. She had a huge headache, she said. In fact she swallowed 2 migraine tablets a few minutes ago."

 _Oh, my Clara..._ The Doctor thought as he looked at his companion, in the same form he had seen her most these last few days; asleep.

"I'll get you fixed, my Impossible Girl." He breathed softly into her hair, hoping his Clara heard him in some way or another.

They were soon in her bedroom.

The kids were astonished with the velvet light red walls and all the other outworldly things the TARDIS decided to decorate Clara's room after she finally befriended the companion. There was also a midnight blue ceiling with flickering stars, which the TARDIS could change into a live view of the outside of the ship at will.

The Doctor laid Clara on the bed with the utmost delicacy. She was still unresponsive.

"You said she took migraine pills, yes?" Breathed the Doctor as he passed the green light if the sonic over her; from head to toe. "She did." Said Angie. Artie was too worried to answer. "Were they there when you arrived?" The time lord asked. "Think so," the girl shrugged her shoulders. "She didn't sit up from near the table till she decided to go on the sofa."

"She should've called me when she felt that headache." He mumbled as the doctor smoothed his companion's head delicately.

 _How many lives did that small vulnerable human mind of hers contain?_ The Doctor thought.

After some time, Angie felt fed up so she interrupted the Gallifreyan from his troubling thoughts. "What is so life threatening that she would tell us to call you, after all?" Angie said with her normal defying attitude.

Silence.

Just the hums of the time machine whizzing through the time vortex.

"Long story..." The Doctor finally breathed. His eyes never left Clara's vulnerable form. She felt so cold, and looked so pale, it wrenched his hearts. "We have all the time in the world in this box. You can tell us." Said Angie. But it sounded more like a command rather than a suggestion.

His voice showed a little bit more anger and frustration, not much... Just enough to show them the gravity of the situation. "But Clara hasn't." Angie stared wide eyed at the Doctor.

"Is... Is she going to die?" Artie said, trembling.

"No. But she's in a lot of pain. Or at least, was. Hope she isn't now." He looked again at Clara. "Help me put her in bed." He asked the children. The Doctor heaved her up, and the kids pulled the sheets before placing her on the bed and the Doctor pulling the sheets up to her chin, making sure she is snuggled.

The Doctor sat down.

"Want to go home?" He looked at the kids, still standing at the foot of their nanny's double bed. Angie was still angry but Artie looked much more concerned. "I want to stay here." Said Angie enthusiastically, still with a hint of anger and egoism in her voice. "What is this place, anyway?" "I'm worried about Clara." Artie mumbled. "Don't worry about her little lad." He said with a weak smile as he ruffled his curly hair. "I'll help her heal herself." Artie tried to pull a weak smile too.

The Doctor thought for a little while until...

"OK... Here's what we're going to do... You can stay here as long as long as you don't go running around. Anything you need... Ask me."

After some more thought.

"Like books?" He asked. "Yeah... Sort of." Artie answered this time. Angie didn't bother that much, except for rolling her eyes at the Doctor's suggestion. "I'll take you to the library." The time lord said. "Any existing legal book, it's there." Artie smiled a bit more, feeling his spirits lighten just a bit.

The children giggled with joy.

"Stay well Clara." He smoothed her head before pressing yet another soft kiss on her forehead before accompanying the children to the corridor.

"If anything happens, the TARDIS should tell us." And they left to the Library.

* * *

 ** _A/N: till the next update... take care, dear readers :)_**


	6. The Long Story

"So.. What happened to Clara?" Asked Angie as her brother slumped on the armchair. "Long story." Said the Doctor as he was scanning the shelves. The girl sat down on another armchair next to Artie's before crossing her arms and legs. "We're in a time machine, aren't we?"

The Doctor sighed and sat in front of them. "Before I came to supposedly take care of you, Clara and some of my friends got to know that there was someone trying to harm me, to put me in danger. We talked when you where out and discussed it. We went to find these friends which were kidnapped by the one who wanted to harm me. It's called the Great Intelligence." "It's?" Asked the girl. "Yes... It is..." The time lord answered. "Or somewhat was... an abstract power in control of a corpse. Wasn't really a person. It had found my timestream and.." But the Doctor was soon stopped by Artie. "Sorry. Time- what, exactly?"

"Oh... Sorry. Time stream. In a time traveller's life, there is a scar, a fracture in time. An open wound giving an insight on the life of that time traveller. The Great Intelligence went into the time stream. When something enters into a time stream, it is scattered across the timeline of the person by what are called 'time winds'. The GI turned every victory into a defeat, so everything I saved, including your Earth, would cease to exist. I was dying.

I had told Clara earlier that I had met her before... And died both times... Once as a converted human and the other in Victorian London. So-" he was once again stopped, this time by the sister. "Wait... Remember Artie when we found old pictures of them and Clara said that she had never been to Victorian London?"

They both looked at the Doctor, who now had big sad eyes as he remembered Clara's pain, and thinking that he was the fault of all that pain.

"She jumped into my timestream, to turn every defeat the Great Intelligence had made into a victory by splintering herself into a thousand pieces, each piece a new life; an echo of her throughout time and space. Each echo died to save me." He rubbed his hands together. "But the thing is, Clara shouldn't have survived being splintered. The Great Intelligence didn't survive, but she did. Now she has millions of memories of her other lives, apart from her own... Infinitely more than the human brain can handle. Each echo tries to get out in some way. That is probably the reason for the headache, the flashbacks and memory clashes, sometimes not knowing who she is as she mixes up her life with others'. And I can't do anything about it except to see her suffer. After the incident, she stayed here for a few days, watching her recovery, from unconsciousness... She began having dreams of her lives... And couldn't hold herself from screaming as she dies in her. I have tried to calm her, but there is no use.

She never really complained of a headache before, except a few moments after she exited the timestream. But then I was able to suppress some of her memories and make them as irretrievable as possible. Even then the amount of screaming in her dreams decreased. But now, that she's gone into the real world, everything around her is making her remember the echoes. Many memories pop up all of a sudden, overwhelming her, causing the severe headache.

What have I done to her?" The Doctor was in tears.

A grown man... Was in tears.

But he wasn't just any grown man.

He was a weary time lord...

Last of his kind...

Watching everyone die around him.

Sometimes dying because of him.

And this was one of those times.

Inside, Clara was dying...

"Shouldn't you two be at home, studying?" A feeble voice said.

Clara was holding on to the Library Door frame, pale as snow and yet a small smile curled her face.

"Clara." He turned to look at her. The Doctor soon remembered that he had been crying... So he swiftly dried his eyes with the back of his hands and ran towards her, followed by the children.

They embraced each other, Clara holding on to him. The Doctor could feel Clara's fingers desperately curling around his shirt, desperate to cling onto him; both because she needed him and also because she felt knees felt so weak, the companion could hardly stand up on her own. "What are you doing out of bed?" The time lord said as he smoothed her hair. "You're still weak." "Wish I wasn't." She breathed a laugh. "How long have you been here?" He smiled weakly, as did Clara right afterwards. "Longer than you would like." She smirked.

He heaved her up gently and they all walked slowly to her bedroom once again. "I told the TARDIS to tell me if something were to happen." He said quizzically. Her thin lips curled slightly at the edges in a soft smile. "I asked her not to tell you. At least she gave me a shortcut to where you were." The Doctor chuckled. "So she's listening to you, know?" Clara chuckled too as the companion nuzzled herself deeper in her arms; feeling herself slowly drifting again into sleep. "Feeling any better?" Asked the Doctor. "A slight bit." She replied weakly, as she held her eyes closed whilst feeling the Doctor's heartbeats against her ear. The rhythm... The drums which contented her when she was afraid or sad. But she knew he was the one who felt sad at that moment. So she let her arms curl themselves around his neck, nuzzling her nose into his tweed, smelling his scent; an ancient, time travelling smell.

They soon arrived at the bedroom, the kids never saying a word, even if Angie was really really annoyed seeing Clara being treated in such a "childish way". She thought her nanny was being spoiled by the time lord, always overflowing her with kisses, taking her to out worldly places so she could stay away from the children. And now? Taking her to her bedroom just because she was having periodic headaches? From new lives in her mind?

She bet those two were turning mad for each other, and Clara was entering the Doctor's spell. Angie couldn't stop believing that the Doctor was actually Clara's boyfriend. No doubt. And she was infuriated for her. Because their nanny could do whatever she liked and, when at home, she was such a control freak that Clara would let them do anything.

The time lord laid Clara on her bed and snugged the quilts around her torso. "My Chin boy." Clara smiled as her eyes filled with tears of pain. "Feeling any better, souffle girl?" The Doctor bent down to deliver a kiss to the girl's head. Angie thought that all of the sweet name calling was just pathetic. She couldn't even make a proper soufflé! So she stormed out. Both the Doctor and Clara stood staring at Artie, whose face was flushed with embarrassment, before taking off behind his sister, the call of her name echoing through the corridor.

Clara's eyes overflowed with tears. "I'm not good enough for her Doctor." She sobbed. "Angie's always angry with me, and now..." The Doctor scooped her up and held her closer to him, her face buried in his chest. He could feel her trembling against him, while he was trying his best to calm her down, rock her, and shush her whilst his fingers passed through her hair. "This is the last thing you'll have to worry about, Clara. Right now you have to rest, that's all you have to do. I'll help you overcome the headaches, and try to talk to Angie when I can." The girl's eyes widened. Even though the Doctor couldn't see her large eyes, he felt her relax just a little; almost unnoticeably. "Yes, Clara. Just promise me you won't worry about her." The Doctor's lips curled into a small smile. "Or anything else, for that matter." She soon calmed and weakly pulled herself away from the Doctor, eyes open wide, inflated and bloodshot. "I'll try to speak to her and find out why she's feeling like that. It might concern her mother's passing." Clara nodded feebly. "Thank you Doctor." The Doctor smiled. "Now you need to rest." He helped Clara lie down on her double bed before tucking her once again. "Don't worry, my Impossible Girl. I'll stay by you and protect you." Her eyes shut tightly as the Doctor caressed her forehead. Tears soon slithered from the corner of her eye, which the time lord was quick to wipe with his thumb. "It's going to be fine, Clara." He breathed in her hair. "Just think about nothing else other than what _you_ want. Don't let anything make you sad."

The Doctor soon started humming a lullaby. He had no desire to plunge Clara into a dreamless sleep, like he had done so many times before in emergencies, but rather let her take her time to settle down comfortably into her own dreams, hoping the song would take her to a dream world of her own, away from the horrible nightmares and those of her echoes. Clara's tense body soon relaxed whilst a small almost unnoticeable smile formed in the corners of her lips before finally drifting off.

"Sleep tight, my Clara." He breathed as the Doctor continued to smooth her hair, never leaving her side.


	7. Goodnight again, my Impossible Girl

_**A/N- A shorter filler chapter this time... Hope you still enjoy it though :)**_

Her head was still throbbing, yet she was in less pain than the previous flashback at the Maitland's. She soon felt a hand caress her forehead. "Hello my Impossible Girl." She heard. That voice... A voice she heard so many times yet started to appreciate more after what happened in Trenzalore. The caring voice that guided her to her madman with a box when she was so so lost in the time stream.

"Chin boy." She breathed a laugh as Clara's eyes opened only slightly, to view the young-looking time lord next to her bed. "You stayed." She continued to speak with a smile on her face. The Doctor soon offered her a weak smile. He was always near her. Keeping her company. And most important of all... Keeping her safe. "I kept my word, Clara." The time lord said sweetly, he grinned "Even if I did have to slip out for a few minutes. Didn't want you to wake up alone again." The Doctor let his hand slip in hers. "How long this time?" She chuckled slightly. "Around an hour. Not much." He said as he smiled too.

Her smile soon faded as she remembered. "The children." She croaked. "They're fine..." The Doctor smoothed his companion's soft hand. "Went to pop in to check that they're ok. They're sleeping in the Library."

But she couldn't hear what he was saying.

 _The children..._

Images flashing in her mind...

 _Laying on a hard wooden table._

 _Taking her last breaths._

 _Latimer house_

 _The children..._

 _"The children... They're afraid." She could hear them sob their heart out just a few steps away from her slowly decaying body. "Hold them." She had pleaded._

 _"It's not really my area..." The father had confessed yet again, as always, whilst holding her cold, feeble hand in his._

 _"It is now..." She had breathed with the last speck of energy she had for that moment, the last she could spare for them. The last moments of energy... she needed them for her Doctor._

Clara groaned heavily as she pulled back her hand from the Doctor's grasp and pressed both against her head once again.

"No... _No_... Not the ice governess again!" She mumbled. "It's fine Clara." The Doctor tried holding her, calming her, but he too was so worried about her. For the first time since he met the _real_ Clara Oswald, the Doctor felt helpless. He had felt so helpless in front of Oswin during the confession of the terrible truth, during Clara-Elle Oswald's, during Clara Oswin Oswald's death, and at the face of so many deaths of his companions, even other echoes.

Did he need to bargain with the Universe once again so he could relieve Clara of her suffering?

"I can't keep doing this Doctor. It hurts!" The Doctor got even more concerned, but his mind slipped into automatic mode, helping her the only way he could and has been doing throughout her trauma after Trenzalore.

"Clara, look at me. Look at me." She turned to do so with her large, confused beaded eyes and he slipped his fingers under her hands on her temples. But her palms were tightly pressed against her head. "Hey, hey. It's going to be fine, Clara." The Doctor tried to calm her as he was able to slip his fingertips under her hands, slowly, but surely. "It's going to be fine." He breathed desperately. Clara shook her head. She was in panic mode again, eyes wide open in fear. Her breathes were by the time _desperate_ gasps for air, feeling herself claustrophobic, the memory of her Victorian echo tightening itself around her, leaving her breathless.

The Doctor could barely bring himself to do such a thing to his Clara again. But it was necessary to bring out his companion out of that pain. "Goodnight, my Impossible Girl." His voice nearly broke. The Gallifreyan could see her unfocused eyes clear, surrendering once again to sleep. Clara immediately fell into oblivion, as her weak body relaxed in his arms, sleeping, the way she had spent the most of the last few days.

And it unnerved the Doctor.

He had to help her, before she slips away with her echoes.

 _ **A/N- i am soooo evil XD will update asap. Till then take care :) (Feedback for my evilness XD (and also the story/ chapter in general) appreciated :) )**_


	8. Help in Victorian London

"Angie!? Artie!? Console room!" He shouted in the small microphone on the console.

They soon came running into the console room, to find the Doctor near the console, pulling levers to take off, and Clara, still asleep, wrapped in a soft blanket leaning the wall near the door.

"She's getting worse." He breathed. "I have to help her. I must heal her." The Doctor mumbled as he continued to figet with the buttons on the console.

The TARDIS landed. "Where are we?" Asked Angie. "Victorian London, 1894" The time lord replied as he flipped a few more switches before running towards Clara. He heaved her up with the utmost delicacy. The children followed, as always.

The time lord soon turned around. "It's better if you two stay in the TARDIS." He insisted. But Angie was quick to respond. "She's our friend too, Doctor." Replied Angie with her defying tone. "Do you expect us to leave her?" She placed her hands on her hips and arched her eyebrows. Of course, she had said so not because the girl was worried about Clara, but because it was just stupid to stay in the TARDIS when there was a whole different world outside.

And the Doctor, this time, was too weak and preoccupied about his Impossible Girl to think or notice her defying and selfish nature. He didn't give a damn about anyone other than Clara.

The Doctor sighed. "Very well, but stay by me. Don't you dare wander off." He said, but soon stopped to look behind him. "Lock the door behind you." The Doctor said before opening the door and all went rushing outside.

"What's the matter, Doctor?" Madame Vastra entered the living room with her black and purple Victorian dress. The Doctor answered the woman immediately. "Clara, she's worse..." Vastra immediately noticed he was very frustrated, and no doubt she knew very well why. "The timestream, she's having flashbacks of her echoes, always followed by headaches. Thought Strax can help." He continued before gazing at his companion, still unconscious in his arms. The Doctor held her closer to his chest, feeling her heart beat against his.

The kids, on the other hand, were watching the whole scene from behind the Doctor, virtually hidden behind the tall and slender time lord. "Angie?" The boy breathed as he kept on staring at the lady. "Am I going mad?" "Shut up, Artie." Replied the girl through gritted teeth. "Remember, we're already travelling with an alien."

"Great to see you again, Sir." Strax soon joined. "Strax, take them to the infirmary. Miss Clara needs help." "Right away." The sontarian replied before bowing and leading the Doctor, Clara, Madame Vastra and the kids to the inside of the house. They continued to walk steadily through the old corridors. "This place gives me the creeps." Artie shuddered. They soon arrived to the end of the corridor, to a large bookcase aligned with leather-bound books. Strax placed his fingertips on the spines of 3 separate books, when a clicking sound was heard. The bookcase opened to the inside, revealing a whole new world; metallic, one might say. They delved into amole spaced room; a very technological infirmary.

"Sontarian technology, Sir."

"Wow, Angie. This is _amazing_." The boy exclaimed as both him and his sister were awed by the technology.

Strax heard them and soon noticed there were unauthorised aliens in his vicinity and so he turned to the children. "What are you puny humans doing here?" The Doctor was soon to reply, "Don't worry they're friends of ours. Can you just see what we can do to help Clara?" He said hastily. "Right away, Sir." The sontarian nurse replied. The Doctor placed the unconscious girl on the illuminated metal table in the middle of the room and Strax examined her head with the controller, the Doctor holding Clara's hand. After a few heartbeats, which seemed like long minutes to the Doctor, Strax hummed. "Overcluttered mind, Sir." He said. "The brain is overworking itself, the cause of the headaches." "Every time she noticed something familiar to what happened to her echoes..." The Doctor was stopped by Madame Vastra. "The brain would remember many lives simultaneously, causing it to be overloaded. How long she been like this, Doctor?" The lizard lady asked.

"A few hours since the first headache, 7 days since the time stream. She went back home after 6, she only had some dreams and wanted to go back home. I had suppressed some of her lives, so she could at least sleep without screaming. She forgot the dreams she had during sleep, which was a good sign. But now..." He sobbed over her hand. "I have no regeneration energy left to heal her, Vastra. If I had, I would."

"I will try to find an antidote to heal her Sir." And Strax went near the chemical bench.

The Doctor heaved Clara, holding her unconscious form close to his chest, sobbing in her hair, hoping that she wasn't in any form of pain. He walked a few steps from the main bench and placed Clara on a nearby soft infirmary bed with monitors and sensors. The children just stared at the Doctor. They had never seen him so broken before. "Come along children." Said Jenny in her friendly tone. "I'll make you a hot drink and give you some biscuits and cake." The children had no choice but to walk behind the ordinary looking lady.

"Doctor, you need some rest." Madame Vastra came near the time lord as he was switching on the monitors and calibrating them to Clara. "I can't... You know I can't." He sounded frustrated as he tapped on the monitors. Madame Vastra straightened herself. "I'm going to say exactly what I said 2 Christmases ago when Clara's echo was in Captain Latimer's house. It's no use blaming yourself. She chose to help you-" "Only because she had no option." The Doctor interrupted her with a tone which took the lady somewhat by surprise, even if she knew how much Clara meant for him, especially after Trenzalore. He sighed and calmed down, his tone being less harsh. After all, she was only trying to help. "Clara knew that she had already done it. And I didn't even try to stop her."

"If she hadn't done it you would have died and so would she." Said Madame Vastra. "She's dying in every single dream. Life can't get more miserable than that."

The Doctor broke down once more, holding his face in his hands, the heart rate meter beeping, soothing to hear that his companion was fighting. "Somewhere out there, there's Clara's body. She died because of me.

Because of _me_.

I don't want the same thing to happen to my Clara." He insisted, his tone of voice hinted with slight anger not to Clara, or Madame Vastra, but he was angry for himself.

"She's going to be fine, Doctor." The lady tried soothing the Gallifreyan from his grief. She patted the Doctor's shoulder, but the latter did not move. He just kept on gazing at his companion, his hands wrapped around her cold hand, pressed to his lips. "Trust us. Ms. Clara's going to live."

The Doctor was soon left alone with Clara. A beep from the heart rate monitor came too soon and her pulse returned to normal. He went even nearer to his weak companion and saw a tear trickle down her face.

 _She died again._

Clara normally wake up screaming in fear.

But she didn't.

She just held it all to herself.

He dried the tear with his thumb whilst his eyes filled with tears of his own. The Doctor kept stroking her delicate cheek, as he had done throughout the first few days after Trenzalore, where she wouldn't wake up for many hours, drowning herself in dreams and screaming without even being able to wake herself up, and still hard for the Doctor to wake her.

His Clara... Drowning in deaths. He had brought her to this, just so he could live. The Doctor had almost given up and was starting to let the guilt inside him take over and start eating him from inside, when he heard a feeble voice he longed so much to hear...

* * *

 _ **A/N- just a small cliffhanger for next time :) feedback greatly appreciated :)**_


	9. Facing Fears

"Doctor." The voice breathed. He turned to look at his companion, her eyes were closed; she seemed asleep. He moved closer to his companion. "I'm here, Clara." He breathed before sniffing and wiping away the tears with the back of his free hand. "You're crying, aren't you?" Clara's words hardly left her lips, mumbling away her thoughts as she had always done when talking in her dreams, but the Doctor understood her all the same. "Don't you worry about me, Soufflé Girl." He pressed a small kiss to her hand. "You rest." "Why are you crying Doctor?" She insisted. "No really it's... It's nothing." Th etime lord stuttered. Thank goodness Clara didn't get to see his bloodshot eyes. But the companion knew the Doctor all too well, especially after living so many different lives just to save him, seeing him battle through guilt, just as he had been doing when Clara Oswin Oswald came along. "I want you to remember that I did it to save you, but I saved the whole Universe too." She tried her best to stay awake as possible, even if she was still half-asleep. "If you'd died, the whole Universe would have suffered, and I would have died too." "Oh Clara." He smoothed her hand. "I'm sor-" Clara shushed him softly. "I'll be ok. I'll be fine." She tried to reassure the Doctor, as she tried as much to reassure herself. "Of course you will be." He breathed, a little out of hope yet keeping his thin lips curled into a delicate smile, seeing that his companion, even through all that pain, was doing her best to stay strong. He had said those words of hope too many times thought the few days after Trenzalore, and he himself was starting to lose faith that things would start getting better for her. But the Doctor mustn't show his Impossible Girl that; she needed to have all the hope she could get.

"And don't you dare worry about me, Chin Boy." She chuckled softly. The Doctor replied with a small smile. "If you say so." He bowed down to kiss her hair softly. "You must rest now." The time lord continued. "I'll take care of you." Clara's thin pale lips curled slightly to the same faint smile. "Thank you, my Clever boy." She replied as both her smile and voice trailed off whilst drifting off to sleep again.

* * *

Clara felt that she was still inside a soft bed... Yet, one that surely was not as comfortable as the one the TARDIS had prepared for her... the sheets were slightly itchy, to say the least.

 _What the hell_ _had_ _happened?_

The last thing she could remember was that she was... Dying? She was a governess dying in Victorian London. There had been the Doctor in front of her, calming her. She was in so much pain before surrendering herself to sleep.

No...

Something else had happened _immediately_ after that... (Or was it after a million deaths?) But Clara couldn't quite pinpoint what it had been.

"Doctor?" She breathed. The girl barely had enough energy to call out his name, but he had become so sensitive to her feeble pleading voice that he immediately replied. "Clara... My Clara." The companion felt a delicate kiss to her forehead. Clara wouldn't move a muscle, she just enjoyed as her carer showed her affection. After a while, the time lord got concerned. "What happened?" The time lord's soothing, sweet voice called, as he smoothed her pale unblemished cheeks. "Open those large eyes of yours... I missed seeing them." Clara breathed a smile, as she felt her eyes filling with tears behind her eyelids.

His caring smile was soon wiped off of his face and the Doctor wiped off the tears falling from the corner of her eye. "What's wrong, Clara?" He sounded very concerned, with no doubt. She started trembling ever so slightly. But she wouldn't reply to the time lord. "Please Clara. I only want to help you. You know that, don't you?" He said desperately as he kissed her forehead tenderly once again. "I'm scared." She said between one sob and the next. "Oh, my Clara... What have I done to you?" And he kissed her hand. The companion did not take cause of what the Doctor had said. She couldn't; Clara was too frightened to. "I'm scared my headache will return." She sniffed. "Don't worry about that." The Doctor said as he caressed her cheek. "Just try. For me, Clara."

She hesitated... But opened them slowly. The companion was in the modern infirmary, with metallic silver walls and metal cupboards. Clara felt an incessant stinging in her hand as it was tethered to an IV, suppliying her constant small doses of the medicine.

"Where are we?" She croaked.

His face dropped.

"Madame Vastra's infirmary, 1894." The Doctor mumbled.

"1894..." Clara thought. "Victorian London." She breathed.

 _Run... Run you Clever boy... And remember..._

Her eyes began tearing once more, her fingers curling around the sheet, bracing herself for yet another moment of agony. The Doctor hugged her and cradled her. "Hey... It's fine. It's fine." He hushed her. "I don't want to remember, Doctor." She weeped as her fingers tighened themselves around the already crumpled shirt. The throbbing in her head had come back, but at least it wasn't as painful as it was the last time she woke up.

They parted after a few minutes enclosed in that tender embrace, "How are you feeling?" The Doctor asked as he wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of his hand. "It hurts." "I know Clara, but are you feeling any better?" He asked impatiently. After some silence, Clara finally replied, "Think so." The time lord relived his lungs from a breath which he had no idea he was holding and wrapped his Impossible Girl into another tight embrace. "Thank goodness." He breathed before planting a kiss in her soft hair. Clara was frustrated; even more than she had been, actually. "What's all this about Doctor?" "Oh." She heard the Doctor said as his hug loosened and pulled her away from him. "I brought you to Victorian London after I plunged you to sleep last time, and Vastra and Jenny and Strax helped me take care of you and heal you." He gestured towards the IV tube. "You can thank Strax for that." He continued with a smile of satisfaction, "His own concoction."

"And what am I going to thank you for, Chin boy?" She laughed, still with her headache... "You saved my life... I need to thank you, not the other way-"

"We're quite even, actually." Her wide smile shone, as did the Doctor's. It had been so long since he had seen Clara smile in such a way. You stayed with me all those days, not just me-" The Impossible Girl gasped. "The kids..." She frantically looked around her. But the Doctor smoothed her arm. "Clara. They're fine." But she barely heard him. "Clara!" She finally looked at him with bright wild eyes, her breaths were shallow and panicked. "They're fine. Madame Vastra and Jenny showed them to the bedroom after tea." The nanny sighed before slumping back onto the bed.

"How long have I been here for, Doctor?" Clara asked, looking around her. On every side of the bed were other beds identical to hers. In front of her were metal cupboards. "A day or so, Clara." Said the Doctor, smoothing her hand between his. They were rough, worn, yet still strong. She sighed before gazing up to the white ceiling, looking slightly darker due to the lack of lighting from the lamp near them. "How long am I going to keep doing this, Doctor?" The companion breathed. "I've spent these last few days in bed. I'm sick of it." She closed her eyes. The words barely left her lips. "Why can't I just _live_?" "Oh Clara." The Doctor breathed as he pressed his dry lips to her warm, smooth hand. Clara opened her eyes to the Doctor. "I promise you," he said, "I will do _anything_ in my power to bring you back to health." "You already did everything you could, Doctor. And I'm already feeling better. But if I get worse again, I'll accepted my fate and continue with it. But I don't want to be your burden." But Clara was still undoubtedly scared. She tried to hide it but the pain made it more difficult to hide such a thing from someone who was sensitive to sadness. The Doctor offered her a sad smile. "You will never be a burden, my Impossible Girl. Never." He bowed down to press a sweet kiss to her forehead before smoothing it. Clara breathed a laugh as a thought came to her. "So I guess... It seems that the _Impossible_ Girl is not that impossible after all." The Doctor felt his hearts clinch. He had resolved his mystery... But all the same, she was _his_ Impossible Girl. He smoothed Clara's hair delicately. "Of course you are, Clara. The Great Intelligence didn't survive the same tumble you did." "But the GI has been alive for so long..." Clara's voice trailed off in thought. "As you have been alive through your echoes, he has been alive through his. Humans aren't meant to survive the time winds. Not only did you survive them, but you lived through the thousands of memories in your head. If it weren't for your impossible strength, I wouldn't have you with me." By the end of it, the Doctor was in tears, for he saw his companion in such a state and could do nothing to help her. "All's going to be well Doctor. I promise." She breathed a laugh. "You and your sad eyes, Chin boy..." Her voice trailed off as Clara's palm cupped her Doctor's wet cheek. "I'm sure of it, Souffle Girl." "Who isn't able to make a proper souffle." The girl was only able to offer a very weak smile. He took his companion's hand from his cheek and kissed it.

 _My clever girl... Thank you._

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 ** _A/N: I hope you're enjoying this fanfic! Reviews give me more motivation to write and publish, so they are greatly appreciated :) Take care :)_**


	10. Back Home at Last

_**A/N- another chapter full of hurt/ comfort and lots and lots whouffle fluff XD (a pinch of humour involved too :) )**_

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After a few hours of rest and care, Clara much felt better and was ready to go back to the TARDIS.

"Here's the recipe, Sir." Said Strax to the Doctor. It was written on a piece of paper. "It is important that the human takes it once every 12 hours, on time, for 3 days. Then every 24 hours after that. When you feel suitable, you can bring the boy for a check-up." "My potato head, what would I do without you!" The Doctor pressed a kiss on the Sontarian's head. "Thank you Strax." "Sir, I told you many times," the Sontarian insisted shyly between gritted teeth. "don't talk to me like that in front of puny humans!"

On the other side of the room, a few meters away from the conversation that the Doctor and Strax were having, were Vastra and Jenny saying their goodbyes to Clara, accompanied by the two children. They were closer to the door, or rather, the inside of the bookshelf where the secret technology was hidden. Angie was annoyed, and had been grumbling with her brother both days Clara was stuck in bed recovering. "Thank you Madame Vastra, and Jenny. And give my thanks to Strax. I don't know how to thank you all." Thanked Clara.

"You sacrificed yourself for the Doctor, my dear child." Vastra said as she took Clara's hands in hers. "That's a thank you for everyone. That is a debt every living creature that was, is and ever will be will have to pay. Without you everything good in this Universe would have ceased to exist. Even us."

"Seems like you've become a very important person, Clara." Muttered Angie sulking. The nanny didn't really take cause of her... Angie did it all the time.

The Doctor and Strax soon joined the group, and they made their way outside. Clara and the Doctor walking arm-in-arm, just as they had did in Sweetville, where they pretended to be husband and wife (and it was a very great execution to say the least). They did not walk with the same spring in their step as they had before, for they walked so mostly out of comfort and care for each other, with an air of sorrow and heaviness surrounding them. Needless to say, Clara was far from restored to complete health, still feeling slightly weak, but what was for sure was that she felt far better than after Trenzalore.

They passed through the candle illuminated corridors and passed large windows offering a view of the Thames and lit up sky, full of stars. "The stars," Clara breathed as she stopped in front of a window. The kids and the gang stopped too. Angie had to stop... Not that she has any other choice; she didn't want the strict-looking lizard lady to scold her. "Never thought I would miss them so much." The Doctor held her closer to him. Clara continued. "Oswin dreamed of such a sight for a whole year. Poor girl, she was so scared." Tears formed again in the girl's eyes, not because of the headache that threatened to creep into her system, even if it was only a slight throb. But the sentiment she felt with each and every one of her echoes, Clara felt as if she had lived each and every one of their lives. Oswin's was the hardest life the companion had ever experienced, such a fate that awaited the junior entertainment manager, having to live a false life for a year out of grief and denial, her own mind defending her against insanity before she fulfilled her destiny. But if it hadn's been for her, the Doctor and his companion's would have died the second they landed on the Asylum. "When are we going to the ship? I'm tired." They heard an angered, managerial voice proclaim. They all turned towards Angie, frowning and with arms crossed on her chest. Her brother was embarrassed by her attitude but didn't dare to say a word of caution to the girl. "Angie," The Doctor said with a firm tone, "are you seriously-" his voice was cut-off by Clara's plead, the time lord feeling his arm being delicately squeezed. He looked at her large, glistening eyes. "Leave her alone, Doctor. It's no use." It was a very weak, almost inaudible breath. She took one last hurried glance towards the stars outside before turning feebly. "Let's go Doctor."

They slowly continued their journey towards the living room and the TARDIS. "Should you need anything, my dear Ms. Clara, you can always call us from the TARDIS." Said Madame Vastra when they arrived in front of the time machine. The lady looked at the time lord. "And you too, Doctor." The lizard lady proceeded with a smile. It soon faded when the kids entered the time machine and couple turned towards the ship, when she sent a telepathic message to the Doctor.

 _Talk to the little girl, Doctor. She is in_ _great_ _grief._

The Doctor stopped momentarily, with Clara stopping with him. The Gallifreyan turned and nodded. "Thank you Madame Vastra." She soon replied. "Take care of Ms. Clara, Doctor. She needs all the help she can get." "I will." The time lord replied, smoothing Clara's hand which was weakly holding his. The companion smiled faintly towards her Doctor before entering the TARDIS. Artie was sitting on the jump seat, with Angie trailing around the room, looking at all the buttons and levers, threatening to play around with them.

The time lord took off, with Clara still clinging to him, her laden head resting against his arm. The Gallifreyan turned to his Impossible Girl once they were safely in the time vortex. "Anything in mind, Clara?" She sighed in return and untangled herself from the Doctor, straightening up.

"I think I'm going to take a shower, Doctor, if it's not a problem." She said before turning to the kids, warning her with the firmest tone she could muster at that moment. "Don't bother the Doctor." She then turned to the time Lord. "If they bother you you can take them home."

"You can't tell us what to do." Shouted Angie, with her hands on her hips. Clara closed her eyes, breathing heavily as she leaned against the console, feeling another headache kick in. "Fine. Fine." She breathed, feeling the Doctor's arms wrapping her once again, protecting her from falling on the floor for the thousandth time. "Do whatever you want just..." The companion sighed. "I'm going to have a wash and go to bed. I'm tired." "She's been sleeping for 3 hours already." Muttered Angie. "I'm fine, Doctor. Thank you." Pulling away gently from the time lord before sluggishly walking into the nearest corridor, hoping the TARDIS was kind enough to locate both her bedroom and bathroom in that corridor and nearby as possible. "Control freak." Angie breathed as she rolled her eyes. The kids soon went into the other corridor to find the library, Angie still infuriated.

* * *

Clara was snuggled under the soft sheets and duvets, with the Doctor sitting near her legs, accompanying her until she drifted off to sleep. "Are you still guarding me, Chin boy?" She laughed. "Yes." He replied with a smile as he let his fingertips smooth her forehead. "Yes, I am." Remembering the first time he had _actually_ guarded her against the spoonheads. "Are you seriously going to sit there all night?" Clara continued with the same smile. The Doctor was soon to reply. "I promise I won't budge from this spot before you sleep." The girl breathed a laugh. "You've been doing it for the last couple of weeks Doctor." The time Lord's smile was sweet and gentle. "And I will continue to do so for as long as takes."

Her smile faded. "Angie doesn't seem like she'll get any better." For Clara felt it was her duty to help the girl. But she could do anything if Angie didn't want to. "Don't worry about her, Clara. I still haven't talked to her." He sighed, and the companion was soon to reply. "There's no need to rush it, Doctor. Even if Madame Vastra asked you herself." The time lord knitted his eyebrows in confusion as her lips curled into a small grin. "How did yo-" Clara soon cut off his sentence. "My brain has been sensitive to telepathic routes ever since Trenzalore." She let out a heavy sigh, expressing a low drifting thought of sorrow. "Can't control them I'm afraid. My brain's already overloaded and with every conversation I pick up, the headache starts again." The Doctor smiled as he placed Clara's hand in his. "I'll help you control them after everything else is settled." The companion smiled. "I don't know how I can thank you, Doctor." The latter bowed down and pressed a tender kiss on Clara's forehead. "You already have, soufflé girl." __

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 _ **A/N- hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is the motivation for a writer, so any tips and/or comments are welcome :) Take care :D**_


	11. Rebellion

_**A/N: please excuse me for me for taking so long to update. Will update my other story (Blood Moon) soon too :)**_

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Angie couldn't sleep. She just stood staring at the infinite blankness above her. Hidden from sight were hundreds upon hundreds of bookshelves; a great variety of books, even those which already have to be written. The constant crackling of the fireplace never left the Library in silence.

Artie heard his sister stirring and huffing restlessly. "I can't sleep either, An." Said the brother. Angie sat up on the sofa and pulled the bedside lamp's string. A warm yellow light bathed both her and her brother. "I just can't _stand_ her anymore, Artie. She's always telling us what to do." She grumbled. Artie did not try to talk to her. As a person who has lived with her all his life, he knows how uncontrollable she can be when she's temperate, especially after their mother passed. One should never talk to Angie without knowing the risk that she might bite the person's head off. "Why does she have to be so bossy?" She continued. "She's such a control freak; wanting every single thing as she pleases, without leaving anyone any kind of liberty." She crossed her arms over her chest before tilting her chin upward in authority. "I am a teenager, and I have the right to do as I please and be as independent as I want."

Artie swallowed hard as he tried to make up a contradicting argument. He loved Clara and the boy always felt that she had their best interests at heart. In no way did he ever feel that she was violating his privacy or freedom, except from some occasions such as the cinema. But it was Angie who had bothered him to go to the cinema with him. So in a way... It wasn't his fault...

"Angie," he started. "Clara tries to help us, she wants us safe and-"

" _Safe_?" Snarled Angie. "We're _safe_ in this ship. She's doing it because she always wants to spoil all the fun." Her brother did not answer his sister anymore. He knew it was an argument he could not win.

"And what about being 'The Impossible Girl'?" The girl waved her hands franctically in the air, showing how she felt about Clara being the girl who saved the Doctor, and about the pomposity of such a name. "She gets all the attention she wants from everyone. Didn't you hear what that _lizard_ told Clara?" Angie shouted before slumping back onto the sofa. Silence engulfed the brethren, occasionally broken by the sound of the crackling fire.

"Sometimes I wish mum was still with us." Angie breathed after a few moments before tears blurred her vision.

"I do to, An." He mumbled before waking up from his sofa and sitting on Angie's. She pulled him in a tight embrace as they sobbed together. "It's going to be OK, Artie." Angie comforted him as best as she could. "Whatever happens, I will be here. And I will protect you."

The mournful air was interrupted by a grumble. Artie held his stomach. The girl glared at the boy, hoping that it was him and not some kind of zombie running around in the TARDIS. "I'm hungry." Moaned the brother. "Isn't there a kitchen here or something?" She threw the blanket from her legs and grabbed her brother's hand. "Let's go."

* * *

And so they ran from the Library down the corridor, hoping to find the kitchen. The first room they entered was the swimming pool; large, illuminated, and bathed in starlight. Then, at last, they found kitchen. Angie opened the fridge and got out the bread, butter, ham, cheese and some lettuce before making a sandwich for each. Artie took out some kind of apple juice (hoping the Doctor stocked human foods) and poured it into two cups.

After preparing the food, the kids placed the plates and cups on the table, sat down and started eating in complete silence (except for the occasional hum from the time machine and crunch of lettuce). Soon they heard a weak knock on the door.

"You almost gave me a fright not seeing you in the Library. But the TARDIS told me you went to grab something to eat." The Doctor said as he slowly walked towards the fridge, opened it and took a glass bottle of soda, popping the cap with a beer opener. He leaned against the kitchen bench and drank half of the bottle in one breath. The kids were just stating at him with mouths wide open. "Didn't want to stop you from having your lunch." The Doctor said with a sad smile, as he walked back to the door, just passing near Artie and scruffing his hair in a friendly manner. The boy was happy in fact to make friends with the time lord and wasn't bothered at all, unlike his sister. "I'm off again. If there's anything you need, just ask the TARDIS or tell her to call me." He smiled once again before heading off outside.

"The Doctor's bewitched, you can bet on that." Said Angie before taking another bite off her sandwich. "Why think that?" Her brother replied. His sister rolled her eyes. "You're still too innocent to know." The boy frowned. "Are you saying that I am incapable of noting or understanding things?" " _No_..." The girl said, ever so slightly angry and annoyed. "It's just that you think that Clara's the perfect nanny and the perfect friend. And the Doctor would do anything for her like she's the President of the Universe or something..." Angie rolled her eyes again. "She isn't our mum Artie!" The dialogue escalated. "I never said that she is our mum, Angie Clara's just trying to help!" The girl huffed. "I can't understand you sometimes, Artie." "I don't want to be angry with you. You're my sister, Angie, and I know you're still angry after losing Mum. Even I felt her loss. But you can't just shut out everyone who tries to help!" Angie's eyes started to leak out tears. "And you're starting to shut out me just because I'm Clara's friend. She did nothing wrong." Artie breathed, with his eyes also leaking tears. "OK. Fine. I'm sorry." Angie shouted. "Let's just eat and get over it." And she continued eating her sandwich angrily. Artie was going to take another bite but he felt sick to his stomach. "I'm not hungry An." He placed it on his sister's plate. "If you want you eat it." So he woke up, placed the plate in the dish washer and started playing with his phone in silence, sitting in front of his sister.

"I'm sorry Artie." His sister finally blurted out. "Sometimes I just get so angry..." Her voice almost broke, when her brother stopped her. "I know An." He sighed. "We're both still hurt and angry for what happened. But you know what Mum told us. Life goes on wit-" The sister stepped in. "But it's boring. Life's boring. Someone died and the world just keeps on going like nothing happened. It's like Mum didn't make a difference to the world. It's not fair!" Artie ran over to his sister as she sobbed heartily. "I know it's not fair Angie. But Mum loved us, and she changed our World. It's time to live our life too. All we need is just some time to cope. But we grieve, and move on, keeping the memories." He tried to comfort his sister the best he could. The brother breathed a smile. "Remember the cookies she used to make?" Angie looked up and sniffed. "Yeah, the chocolate chip cookies; they were the best." A weak smile formed at the edge of her lips. The girl curled her arms around her brother. "What would I do without you, Artie?" She cried, sniffling the tears back as hard as she could before pulling away. "Thank you for not being angry and running away because of my silly comments." She hugged him again. "I will never leave you, An."

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 _ **A/N- I hope you enjoyed this chapter (giving some background about the siblings). Feedback is my motivation, so please be honest but no flames :) Would greatly appreciate :D Cheers :D**_


	12. Children Always Children

"Hia Clara. You up again?" Said the Doctor with a wide smile on his face as he worked on his bench. Clara had entered the room silently with a long blue silk nightdress. She too had a wide smile on her face. It felt good to be out of bed and see the Doctor again.

"Yeah, I'm starting to get tired of staying in bed." She responded as she made her way towards the Doctor. "Been waiting for you to get up. But unfortunately you'll have to stay in bed again." He said as the time lord pressed a white powder in a tablet machine. Clara was going to start whining when the Doctor stopped her. "Doctor's orders." The companion sulked before sighing and pacing closer to the Doctor, slithering her arm around his.

"What's that?" She said, gazing at his work and all the bubbling conical flasks. "This." He said as he pointed towards a jar full of tablets like the one he had just made in the presser. "Is your medicine." Clara giggled. "For what?" "Migraines. Should work... " The time lord remarked as he continued to check the flasks, seeing that everything was working fine. "Where did you get what to do." She said amused. The Doctor soon replied. "Strax gave me the recipe before we left." Clara's eyebrows arched. "Ah..." She said, before continuing. "Why are there so many?"

"Once every 12 Earth hours, he said. It's a personalised recipe, you know. Just the same as you had in the Infirmary, just tablet made." Clara nodded in understanding. "So for how long have I been asleep?" She said.

"Just an hour and a half."

"Better than spending a few days just sleeping." She sighed. "Angie and Artie still asleep?" "They went to eat something, probably gone back to sleep.." The time lord said. "They're wonderful children, Clara."

"Artie is very obedient. Angie... She's becoming quite rebellious. You saw her last time with the Cybermen." He nodded.

A thought slithered through her mind. "Children..." She murmured as her eyebrows knitted and held her head. "Victorian London. Why do I always go back to Victorian London?" The Doctor immediately embraced her tightly in a heartwarming hug. "Hey, hey. It's fine. It's going to be fine. Must have worn out already. Let's go to your bedroom." "No please, not back to bed." She murmured into his tweed, still holding her head. The Doctor pulled her closer towards him. "I know you're fed up, Clara. But you'll be better I promise."

They walked, the Doctor's arm tightly wrapped around a feeble, slightly dizzu Clara, walking in small footsteps, slowly leading the Impossible Girl to her bedroom He helped her sit down on her bed before covering her once again in blankets, back against the headboard. "Wait a sec... Be back soon." He soon came back with a pill and a glass of water. The Doctor handed them to her. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea if you made them, Doctor." She giggled slightly, even though she did so through the throbbing pain. "Just swallow it and we'll see what happens." He joked in return.

If there had been any danger, it was a risk she was willing to take, as long as her migraine would die down. But she trusted the Doctor with all her life.

"You may have some side effects when you first take the pill... Before the body stabilises itself and gets familiar with it." Her eyes widened as she drank the water. "Nothing serious... You will probably feel the urge to sleep, and you might have some nightmares tonight. When I notice that you're dreaming, I'll try and suppress it for good." He continued rubbed his hands together. "That's unfortunately the best I can do." The time lord said mournfully. "Don't you worry Chin Boy." As Clara slipped under the sheets and pulled them to her chin. "You'll wake up better, Clara. I will do anything in my power to make you well." He kissed her forehead.

After some time, "Doctor?"

"Hm?"

"Could you lie near me, you know... For comfort?"

The Doctor sat near her before lying down and huddling her to him.

"And Doctor?

"Yes Clara?" He purred as his fingers passed through her long silky hair. "If I stay asleep for too long, will you drop off Angie and Artie? I don't want them to stay here for too long." She said. He nodded in return.

Clara huddled closer to the Doctor. "Thank you, Doctor." She smiled. "It's a small thing compared to what you've done for me, my Impossible Girl."

Her eyelids began fluttering, but Clara wouldn't sleep. She didn't want to stay in oblivion for what felt like yet another lifetime. Besides, she still was absolutely terrified of her echoes' lives. She felt every heartbreak, every torturous method they used to kill her, every fall, every fright...

"Don't be afraid. Just let it go. Sleep." But the companion began sobbing. "I'm scared Doctor. Of dying again." The Doctor couldn't help but feeling his hearts twitch. He had brought her to this. "Don't you worry Clara." He said as he smoothed her forehead. Clara nuzzled her nose into the Doctor's side. "I shall be here to protect you."

Her fingers wrapped around his shirt. "Thank you Doctor." He heard her mumble. "I'll be here." The time lord said as he kissed her forehead.

 _Another kiss... In Victorian London_

 _Lying on the wooden table._

 _The headache got even worse, the companion nuzzled closer to the Doctor, her only refuge._

 _Hearing the crackling fire as her life slipped away._

"Rest, my Impossible Girl." As the Doctor's vision blurred with tears. He could feel what she was going through.

 _That sweet kiss on her forehead, feeling his rough cold palm smoothing her head._

 _"Merry Christmas, Clara." He had purred._

"Let it take you away, Clara." He said as the Doctor let his hands slipped over her temples. He couldn't help her in any other way. And she finally could do nothing but give in.

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 _ **A/N- I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is the motivation of any writer, so any feedback greatly appreciated.**_


	13. The Confession

The kids ran freely through the corridor. They had finished their meal and now roamed off in the TARDIS, even if the Doctor has told them not to. But of course, it was all the sister's doing.

They had been running for quite a while, exploring different rooms, yet they stumbled on one of the most prised and secret rooms in the TARDIS; the Doctor's room. Angie opened the door quietly.

"An, I don't think it's a good idea..." Artie said as he waited outside. "You don't see a 'don't enter sign', do you?" Artie looked hesitant. "An, please don't switch back to your rebellious mode." She shrugged her shoulders. "No, it's just my curious mode." She chuckled. "Come on!"

She opened the door to find a whole new world. Orange-brown wallpaper with strange buildings and globes painted on it as a landscape of a place unknown to Earth, and which the Doctor was so very fond of. The room had a large baldacchino double bed and a small table with frames. Angie entered, leaving the brother behind. She gazed at the three frames. The first was a selfie of Clara and the Doctor, having an alien landscape in the background, the second was a picture of a woman with blonde curly hair, smiling to the outside of the frame, and the third in black and white; the photo of a young lady.

"Seems like the Doctor misses people after all too Angie." Said the brother, who had come near her because the boy was fed up of staying outside the room alone.

Yet, they soon heard a booming, angry voice which made them jump. "What are you doing in my room?" Angie and Artie's glance shot the the Doctor outside the room, looking very angry indeed. "Did anyone ever tell you not to sneak into people's private rooms when you're invited to their home?" Artie was trembling with fear, and Angie was somewhat scared.

But the tense air was soon broken by a glass-piercing scream.

"Artie?" His sister's voice was trembling. "What was that?"

"Clara..." Said the Doctor, with a mournful air, before he took off running to her room. The children soon followed.

Oh God.

There they found Clara, asleep on the bed covered in sheets with her face buried in the pillow, sobbing her heart out. "Clara." He breathed, but she didn't budge. The Doctor removed the pillow she was clutching to her face and pressed the screwdriver to her temple. The children stood near the entry of the room, Angie's arms wrapped around her sobbing brother. "Come on Clara. You can do it, I know you can." And her sobbing soon decreased. The buzzing from the sonic stopped before the time lord placed the gadget in his shirt Brest pocket. "It's OK, Clara. It's OK." He breathed into her hair as the Doctor smoothed it. "I'm sorry I left you alone."

"Will... Will she fine?" Stuttered Artie. They had never heard her scream in such a way, not even that day when she found a cockroach in their house (she was deathly frightened from them).

He nodded. "I waited for a nightmare to suppress her dreams and lives again. She should be fine. But the medicine seems to be working." Clara didn't even move. She looked peaceful, apart from reminiscent of tears on her face.

"You too should be going home." Said the Doctor firmly, without recalling the incident that happened before the scream.

"I'm staying put." Said Angie as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Clara asked me to drop you off if she-" The time lord's words were cut off by the angry girl.

"Clara... She's not even our mum." Angie roughly. "She can't tell us what to do. She always spoils the fun for us, every time."

"Sit down." The Doctor breathed.

Angie and Artie looked at each other, the latter shrugged his shoulders. They moved bit by bit to the chairs near the Doctor and Clara. The Doctor tried to stand up without waking the companion up, so he could sit down near the children.

The Doctor sighed as he rubbed his hands together, leaned forward toward the kids. "Clara really loves you. She does everything so you stay safe, you know that don't you, Angie?"

The girl nodded feebly.

"She's very worried about you both. Especially you, Angie. I know you're still very hurt from your mother's passing. But Clara knows what it feels like. She had almost your age when she lost her mum, a bit older than you two, in fact. And she was very sad, even if Clara tried to keep it all in. But she moved on, became the young woman she is today. That experience made her stronger, much stronger. I've seen her in so many adventures. She fought, even when she was deathly afraid. Remember Hedgewick's right?"

They nodded.

"You have no idea how worried she was about you. Clara never cares about her own safety first, but she would have done anything if anything serious happened to you two. Clara sees that everyone is happy before she finds her own happiness. And I know it because I've seen not only her, but even her echoes. They're all Clara. And I know that she would do anything to make you feel happy, even if she's sometimes cross with you or when you try to defy her, know that she wants good for you." The Doctor sighed. "Clara may not be your mum, Angie. But she would make a great carer."

He took a quick glance at her. "She didn't want to stay in the TARDIS for more than a week, even if she was in pain and unwell. Clara wanted to come to you and take care of you. She loves you, and I think she deserves more."

Angie was almost brought to tears. She looked at Clara, resting after such a terrible ordeal. It was true... Clara always put their interests before hers. In fact, she could've travelled the world, but she stayed with them, because she felt it was her duty. Clara gave up her dream just to take care of them (even if she did meet a madman with a box in the end).

The hums and groans of the time machine were clearly pronounced against the silence in the room. Angie looked at the grey fitted carpet, so soft to the touch. Her eyes were full of tears but she was too stubborn to break down.

"Our mum... When she passed away, it was so soon. We didn't expect it. It's just that... I don't want our mother to be replaced. It is still too painful for me." She breathed a laugh. "I was always stubborn even when mum was still alive. But she was always able to calm me down. She rarely shouted, even when I had a bad day. Especially when I had a bad day." Her smile grew larger as she remembered the wonderful memories but the girl's eyes never left the floor. "We used to sit on her bed, and talk to me in the most gentle and most patient way possible." She sniffed. "I miss her so much now that she's gone." Angie buried her face in the palms of her hands, double breathing as she howled as softly as possible. But it was undeniable that she was in great deal of emotional pain. Artie was quick to wrap his consoling arms around her trembling figure.

"I know how it feels, Angie." Mumbled the Doctor. Her cries began dying down as she looked at him with bloodshot eyes. They may not have been his companion's large spheres but they screamed mercy and hurt compassion all the same. "For a thousand year old time lord who burnt his own home to stop the war... Yeah... I've seen my own share of deaths." His eyes started to water. "My friends have always been the best of me; they make me who I am. And when one leaves or... For some reason or another... Dies, it's like a part of me has died with them." He shook his head. "I lost so many people. I try to move on... And it's hard. But you can't stay put. Life doesn't last forever, especially for you lot. Your mother wouldn't have wanted you two to cry her all day without living your life, true?" Both siblings nodded, Artie still clinging to his sister to comfort her. "So remember her for the person she was. No one will take her place. Not even Clara. Bit all she's doing is trying to help you, in her own way, to get on with life, just as she had to do. So you could become independent. And every time you get angry just explain to her what's wrong... Because she can't help if she doesn't know. That's why she gets frustrated sometimes. Or maybe if it's something which bothers you... There might be a misunderstanding." The Doctor looked at Clara, still in the deepest of sleeps. "After all she's still human." The Gallifreyan continued. "And everybody makes mistakes."

Angie couldn't even talk. She had let her anger for her mother's passing take over.

"Artie. I- I think it's time for us to leave." Mumbled Angie as she hurriedly wiped her tear laced cheeks.

Artie looked at Clara. "But what about-"

"Clara will be OK. Don't you worry, Artie." Said the Doctor with a sad smile on his face. "I'm sorry, Doctor." Angie wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I was too angry." She sniffed, "Say sorry to Clara for me." but the time lord's lips formed in a sweet smile."Why don't you tell her that once she returns home?" The girl's bottom lip trembled. "I'm scared. After all I've done..." She sniffed once again, but the Doctor's hands wrapped around her trembling hand before she was able to continue. "She will forgive you, Angie. You don't have to worry. She understands." The sister nodded and smiled. "Thank you." She continued, letting the hand slip.

The kids sat up and slowly went out, taking one last glance at Clara before exiting.

* * *

 _ **A/N: feedback hugely appreciated :)**_


	14. Bringing Back Strength

_**A/N: I'm so so sorry I took so long to update this fanfic... Got a bit of a writer's block on this one. Currently writing a few more chapters which I will hopefully post after this one :D**_

 _ **Also... The Cry was AMAZING! Jenna was so so so amazing! And I just watched the 4th Doctor Who episode from S11 and almost broke to tears!**_

 _ **Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

* * *

Clara's orbs fluttered open, slowly getting the starry sky into view. She tried to get herself to think about what had happened. Getting converted into a Dalek.

But it was just a dream, yeah?

She gazed at the stars whilst trying to get her senses in check, and trying to stop the dizziness which overtook her.

The companion sat up just a little. The Doctor was asleep on the chair near her soft double bed. _He probably couldn't help it,_ she thought.

 _The kids._ She continued. _Ummm... Fran- no. They both started with an A. Angela? No... Angie. Yeah and Artie._ She let out a virtually silent sigh of relief as Clara got herself to believe that she was _truly_ being nursed back to health. At least she was able to remember her _own_ memories with less pain and struggle.

Then a thought struck that made her eyes widen. _Were they still in the TARDIS?_ She gasped. _What if Angie took the opportunity and was now roaming in the unsaid rooms of the time machine. Or even lost!_ Her eyebrows arched. _Lost? Better not the TARDIS be playing one of her games._ She looked at the Doctor once more. Nah.. She shouldn't wake him up. She was perfectly good to go and find them, with a little help from the TARDIS, now that they were... Somewhat friends (not that the time machine _really_ accepted her. But it was better than nothing.)

So Clara pushed the blankets off her, slithered slowly to the edge of the bed and turned to sit on the edge. The companion closed her eyes, trying to calm the dizziness.

 _It's going to be alright, Clara._ She said to herself. _You survived the Doctor's time stream. You can survive a trip through the corridor._ And besides, she was hungry.

When the companion felt better, she slithered down the bed, feeling her bare feet on the soft carpet. She held to the bed, afraid she might topple over, before she made the first step. It was not all that difficult; much easier than she thought. So she made a second, holding onto the bedside table. The companion grabbed so suddenly, that the small lamp on the table shook slightly. Clara looked back as she held her breath. She saw the Doctor still in a world of his own. _Thank goodness the Doctor was still asleep._ She thought as Clara let out a sigh of relief.

But on taking the third step, the companion was less lucky. As she went on to take one careful step towards the door, her legs gave way and stumbled on the floor.

The Doctor was awoken with such a sound, and breathed Clara's name when he noticed she wasn't in the bed where he had left her. The call was soon followed by a weak yet audible groan from the other side of the bed. The time lord sprang up and rushed towards the sound, seeing Clara on the floor, trying her best to wake up. "Clara what are you trying to do?" The Doctor said as he kneeled and helped Clara sit up. The girl groaned and held her forehead. "Ow." She whispered. "What were you thinking of doing?" He cupped his hand to her jawline. "Trying to check on the kids." She murmured. "I tried to walk to the door and-" "Clara you're still weak!" He replied. "I was fine before I took the medicine and fell asleep." She said. "Clara... That was 2 days ago." He said. "You only woke up to take the medicine. And the kids are at home. They wanted to leave you alone. Angie said not to worry about them." Yet Clara was baffled, "Angie? That doesn't sound much like her..." The nanny said before delving into thought. But the Doctor soon broke her thoughts. "You should rest a while longer, Clara." Her eyes widened in panic whilst frantically shaking her head. "No." She breathed. The Doctor was slightly taken aback. "No?" He didn't know what she meant. "Why?" He continued. "Are the dreams troubling you again?" "I'm sick of sleeping through my own life, Doctor. I'm going to get better, Strax's medicine is going to help me, but I need to help myself too. I feel weaker when I'm in bed." Clara confessed. She couldn't look at the Doctor. Somehow she was overcome by shame. The Doctor was delved in thought. Her body was weak without some rest, but her legs were giving way due to their lack of use. "Fine." He said. "But don't do anything stupid." "Like what?" Clara laughed. "In the safest place in the whole Universe? I doubt it. Not if the TARDIS can't help it."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with her!"

"I'll be the judge of that." Said the companion, but the Doctor didn't seem to remember. Clara sighed. "Seriously?! Don't you remember the hologram leopard in the bathroom? Or when she decided it was fit to hide my bedroom?!" "Oh." Said the Doctor. "She'll be kinder next time." He continued. "Promise."

"She was already kinder by making me feel at home when I was sick. So I think we're starting to bond a little."

Her smile faded slightly. "What's wrong, Clara?" Said the Doctor concerned, having his puppy eyes whilst smoothing her hair. She breathed a laugh accompanied by a sad smile. "Funnily enough I was the one who chose her for you." She unintentionally smoothed the carpet with her fingertips, hoping the TARDIS would feel Clara's thoughts. "Her navigation systems were worn out but I told you were going to have some fun with her." Clara bit her lip. "The TARDIS you were going to choose wasn't as stubborn as this gal. So you would have gone where you wanted and you would never go where you _really_ needed to be and save worlds." Her thoughts were interrupted by the Doctor, who had tucked a few loose hairs behind her ear. "I remember her." He breathed, his eyes locked in hers. "Yeah... You looked old back then." Her laugh barely escaped her lips. The Doctor offered her a weak smile. "But I am older now." He said. "Yeah." She said.

After some silence, "I bet you're hungry." The Doctor said. Clara nodded. "Quite a bit, actually. " The time lord smiled. "Want to go to the kitchen? We can take fingers and custard if you want..." Clara laughed. "You amaze me how you can eat such a combination." The Doctor laughed too. "Trust me. It's the best." The giggling soon died down. "Then let me take you, Clara." But as the Doctor was going to heave her up, Clara held his hands. "I'd rather try myself Doctor." The time lord sighed. "Alright, but I won't leave you alone for one second." Clara's lips formed into a smile. "I never thought you would Doctor." She pulled him into a soft hug, and the Doctor soon joined in, rubbing Clara's back tenderly. The companion was almost going to cry. She never felt so dependent before.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tender kiss in her hair. _Oh the Doctor. Her Doctor. She's loved him for so long._

"I've missed you, Clara Oswald." She felt the Doctor breathe into her neck, feeling his warm breath against her skin. She only replied by tightening the hug. Only after a while so they were able to detach themselves from each other. The Doctor helped her up slowly. "Alright then." She said, holding on to him. And so she started making her own steps towards the door and through the corridor. "Alright Clara?" She nodded, her fingers still holding onto his tweed. "There you go. One step at a time."

* * *

"2 pieces of toast with scrambled eggs and bacon for Ms. Oswald." The Doctor said as he placed a plate with bacon eggs and toast in front of her. The girl blushed. "And fish fingers and custard for me." And he placed a bowl of custard and a plate full of breaded fish sticks opposite to the girl's place, before pouring Clara a glass of orange juice and then Doctor sat down opposite to her. The Impossible Girl was wearing a large smile, her eyes glimmering, feeling so happy she was one step closer to recovery. She scooped up a fork full of scrambled eggs and eating it, savouring the taste of breakfast after so long of not eating a proper breakfast. "So..." Said the Doctor, before dipping a fish finger in the custard bowl. "Feeling any better?" Clara nodded, looking shyly at the Doctor.

Of course, the companion will never be the same Clara she was before Trenzalore... The Doctor had known that since he found her again in the time stream. But that doesn't mean he accepted it. How can he accept something which, if it weren't for him, Clara would still be a normal 27 year old, with a perfectly normal life.

But he knew Clara.

She hated normal.

But this was just too much for him to bear, probably even for her... Even if she tried to put a straight face every time he was there.

The rest of the meal was completed without another word between the two. Clara didn't eat everything, even if she was famished; there was too much bacon for her. But she still complimented the chef.

The Doctor left the plates in the state of the art dishwasher from the 33rd century before kneeling in front of Clara. "What do you want to do?" The Doctor asked as he let his hands slip into hers. She bit her lip, looking away from him. "There's no need to be ashamed, Clara." He said tenderly. She was still looking away, but the Doctor noticed her eyes filling with tears. "Anything. Wherever, whenever, whatever. It's your decision." Clara sniffed as she took deep breaths; claiming herself, before then looking at the Doctor. His eyes were large, pleading. "I think it's time I go home. I don't know for how long I've been away... But I think it's time I face my fears. The medicine's helping me. I think it's time I start thinking about my nanny duties again." The Doctor felt a lump in his throat. He was scared of letting Clara go, but he wasn't going back from his word. "As you wish, Clara." He took one of her hands and pressed it to his lips, leaving a kiss. "You know, I might stay here for a while longer, just to bring some of my strength back. I feel weak." The Doctor's eyes shone. "Of course. I told you, boss; your wish is my command." Clara's smile widened, before it faded, slumping herself on the Doctor's lap, tightening her arms around his neck. "Thank you Doctor." She breathed, the time lord feeling her hot breath against his neck. He pressed another kiss into her hair, enveloped in such a sweet aura.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Will update asap! Take care! Feedback appreciated as always!**_


	15. Who is in Control?

The following days were quite stressful for Clara. She had decided that it was time to seriously recover so she can continue with her life on Earth as smoothly as possible. And the Doctor made sure that her wish would be fulfilled.

Waking up.  
Breakfast.  
To the gym.  
Stopping for a quick lunch.  
Back to the gym.  
Shower.  
Dinner.  
Pill.  
Reading or something which she could just enjoy doing.  
Sleep.

He stayed with her hour after hour in the gym, helping her regain her balance, strengthening her weakened muscles, building positive thoughts, and trying to block out any memories which would occasionally just abruptly appear and stop her from concentrating.

But everything looked like it was going on smoothly. Even though the first couple of times, it wasn't that easy...

Clara laid on the library sofa near the raging fire of the fireplace, her back propped up with soft pillows, taking a well deserved break after being able to walk a very considerable distance on her own after such a long time being bedridden. She had one of the softest quilts the Doctor could find in the TARDIS covering her legs. She held a pencil and sketch book in her hand. The time lord had promised her he'd come back after he made some maintenance of the old gal. So she wanted to relieve herself from the pain of her former echoes. The headache and memory flashes had subsided a _lot_ since Trenzalore. But she was still burdened; burdened with the deaths of thousands of echoes. One being burdened with all the pain. Drawing somewhat helped her ease the emotional pain.

Not that she had known how to draw.

But Clarisse did.

Clara extracts her from the back of her mind when needed. That's how she started controlling her echoes. The Doctor had taught her how one day...

* * *

 _"Are you sure you want to do this, Clara? It's very energy consuming and you most probably will go back to sleep for a day or two after this." The Doctor said as they sat down on her bed, facing each other. Clara's back was resting against the head rest and her legs were covered by the soft quilts._

 _She swallowed hard. It seemed like there was no choice other than training her mind how to sort out the foreign thoughts. She nodded._

 _The Doctor, wearing a crumpled shirt and black trousers, placed his index fingers on either temple and his thumbs under her eyes, precisely on her sinuses. Clara's eyes still looked into the Doctor's, awaiting an explanation._

 _"All I need you to do is lower the shields of your mind and guide me through your mind. I doubt you can block out any thoughts from your mind at this moment due to the jumble." He offered her a weak smile. "But it will get sorted out, Clara." The companion offered a weak smile in reply to hide her anxiousness._

 _"Ready?" He breathed. "Yeah." She smiled before closing her eyes and the Doctor starting the neural connection._ Clara found herself in front of a wall. _Lower down the shields in your mind._ Oh yeah. She imagined them slowly descending. She already started feeling that the telepathic connection was starting to suck energy out of her.

All those voices and whispers around her... They dizzied her. It felt like a thick fog; blurring the space in her mind.

Clara soon noted she was wearing a long dress adorned with small specks of what she could recognise as stars. Red tendrils as she had encircled her in the Doctor's time stream also left a mark on the red-orange dress; spinning around Clara's figure.

She soon saw the Doctor crossing the lowered boundary of her mind. He was exquisitely dressed, having a tuxedo. But what attracted Clara mostly was his bowtie. It had intricate embroidered circular patterns, which she soon recognised as Gallifreyan. For a moment, he started at her in awe; his amazing companion looking _so_ beautiful. He had never seen her such, not even when they had attended the ball on an exoplanet. "Let's make this quick, Clara." He said as he snapped himself out of the day dream, looking around before muttering, "No wonder you're in such pain, my poor Clara." Clara was able to hear it, even if she was more than sure she wasn't supposed to. He shook himself from the desperation before taking her hand and looking into her eyes. "Lead on."

They ran hand in hand to the centre of her consciousness; through all the fog and dust. The voices never stopped talking or shouting in agony. All echoes of her past lives; all the past torture her echoes had.

They were soon in the heart of her consciousness. It was just an empty space from which Clara's conscious figure, which had lead the Doctor through the mind of Clara Oswald came out near the boundaries to wait for the Doctor's entry. There was a large iron chest in the middle of the space, locked with a large heavy lock; her unconsciousness.

"Now, Clara. I need you to think of a chest... Any size... Just make it bigger on the inside." Clara's consciousness squeezed her eyes shut, before an old paint chipped chest adorned with the same orange tendrils as on Clara's dress, started appearing like pixels before it turned solid. It was only half the size of the iron chest.

Clara opened her eyes, her lips turning into a smile, very satisfied with what she had created.

"Good. Now, just open it and imagine all the fog being sucked into the chest like a vacuum." Clara nodded and lowered down to open it, never taking her hand out of the Doctor's grasp. It was empty... Darkness engulfed its inside.

She tried to imagine the fog being sucked in. It worked as the air began to clear. She could hear the Doctor's encouraging words through the sound of the fog rushing by her ear.

When everything was sucked in, the chest lid shut with a bang. Clara jumped. "It's OK. Stay focused." The Doctor said. "Now lock it." "How?" The companion replied, looking at him frustrated. "I don't have a key." "Already done." He smiled as they looked at the key in the lock. She smiled lightly before turning the key, the click echoing through her mind before pulling the key out.

The Doctor smiled satisfactorily. "That's fantastic, Clara. Now, whenever you need to access a memory just imagine yourself opening the chest with this key and taking out a memory of an echo. Understood?"

Clara nodded. However her eyes were feeling very heavy and was threatening to crumble to the ground. In fact, she slumped on the Doctor. Good thing he caught her just in time. "Clara. Clara stay with me, OK? It's important." He said as he helped his companion up. "Yeah, yeah." She said as Clara held to his shoulders, her eyes tightly closed. "I don't know what happened to me all of a sudden." "Your energy's depleting rapidly." The Doctor sighed. "All you have to do now is lead me back outside and come back near the chest as soon as possible. OK?" The girl nodded tiredly. The Doctor kissed her forehead. "You can do this." He said. The girl tried to bring up some energy, feeling slightly more alert. "Let's get a shift on." Clara said.

And they ran hand in hand to the now clear space of her mind. The pair soon came to the boundary. "I'll see you soon, OK?" Said the Doctor. "Yeah." She replied, squeezing his hand. They just continued to look at each other. She threw herself on him, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Doctor." She breathed in his neck. They stayed so for a while. But Clara slowly loosened her grip. "No no. Don't sleep Clara. Stay awake, stay awake for me, Clara." She moaned, pulling away. "I'm fine, just... A little..." She yawned. "Then activate the blockades around your mind and get back near the chest as soon as possible. OK?" He said. "Will do." She answered, her eyes half open.

The Doctor lost his grip off Clara's shoulders and ran outside. She shut her eyes and imagined the barricades rising, as so did around her consciousness.

Then she ran to the middle of her mind. By time she was becoming weaker and more tired but when she thought she wasn't going to make it, she finally saw the chests, like a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank goodness!

 _When she arrived, Clara just slumped asleep on the iron chest and fell into darkness._ Clara. _She heard._ Clara, my Impossible Girl. _Then she started feeling **his** touch; his soft fingers tracing her cheekbone._

 _The girl groaned._

 _"Clara?" He said with a lighter tone, relieved._

 _"Am I dead?" She continued groaning. "No no of course not my Impossible Girl." She heard him laugh._

 _The companion slowly opened her eyes. The Doctor's chin was the first to swim into view. "Chin-boy." She whispered as a wide smile formed on her face. His lips curled like hers. "How are you feeling?" "Better." She told him as the girl's eyes fluttered, still trying to stay awake. "You need rest, Clara." The Doctor said, cupping his hands to her cheeks. "I'm fine Doctor." She took his hands in hers and planted a kiss to each. "Oh Clara. You beauty." He smiled. "Thank you Doctor." She smiled. "For helping me throughout these weeks. You've bee-" But her words were cut short when her eyes rolled in the back of mind and was going to fall off the bed hadn't the Doctor caught her. The time Lord chuckled._

 _But Clara was consciously refusing to sleep, trying her best to keep her consciousness active for as long as possible. He slowly leaned her head onto his shoulder, caressing her hair. "It's OK. Just rest." He breathed into her sweet smelling hair before pressing a hard kiss on her head. "You deserve it more than anyone." He laughed. "Even if you_ did sleep quite a lot these few weeks." The Doctor wrapped her limp body with his arms. "Thank _you_ _my Impossible Girl."_

 _Clara remembered staying so for a few minutes before feeling the Doctor cradling her head like a child's, arranging the soft pillows before placing her gently on them and feeling the Doctor smooth her hair._

 _It was only_ then _that she drifted into a deep sleep._

* * *

Clara closed her eyes and imagined the wooden chest in the middle of the emptiness. It was so so clear; cracked and withered in some places. She took out a small key from her breast pocket of her favourite shirt. The girl kneeled and placed it in the lock. On opening the chest, she saw what seemed like millions of mementos from her lives. She dug around before finding what she needed.

 _An old sketchbook having the name Clarisse embossed in the red leather on the front._

Clara placed the sketch book on her lap before closing the chest, locking it and taking the key back. She took the book and dug her nose in the leather cover. The scent brought back such beautiful, long-lost memories.

Souffles, art classes, painting, dancing in festive balls with the King of England...

Clara disrupted her consciousness as soon as she felt that Clarisse's death was approaching.

A horrible death... She had dreamt it before.  
For helping the Doctor escape a French prison the day she went to France to exhibit her works, the 27 year old was found guilty of treason and sentenced to the guillotine.

No matter how much she had pleased the king of England before, nothing was enough to save her from her fate. He had said that it wasn't his problem to deal with such a menacing royalty as the King of France.

But she embraced it wholly.

Clara was back in the Library, near the roaring fireplace.

And so... She opened her _own_ sketch book, flipping through the sketches already done; monsters her echoes had encountered, landscapes and significant people in her life.

Including the Doctor.

As soon as she found a blank page, she started drawing. She didn't need sketching lines for guidance; she was the most exquisite painter in England at her time, even at 12 years of age.

So Clara started drawing a physique, a man in a long coat. Soon after, a long scarf followed.

A number never left her alone, buzzing in her head, chanting.  
 _4\. 4. 4. 4..._

He was in fact, the 4th incarnation of the Doctor. Clary, a human from the 51st century had found his dress sense quite... What she liked to call "ancient" yet so intriguing.

The man wearing them was even _more_ intriguing.

Died of Tellenium poisoning, a state-of-the-art toxic metal made in a laboratory on the human colony of Traxicar. She _worked_ in that laboratory... As soon as she found out that her dalek-possessed colleagues had made the trap for the time lord (more specifically, a chamber lined with a weak form tellenium, so the Doctor would die a slow, painful death), she lead him away from the trap, warning him. But in doing so, they took her to the chamber as a punishment to be poisoned. It had taken her 5 days to die, slipping in and out of consciousness, nausea and she started going mad by the end of the 4th day.

But that's OK.  
Anything for the Doctor... As he would do anything for _her._

He shouldn't have followed her into the time stream.

She was _destined_ to die in his grave.

She didn't care...  
Anything to save her Doctor.

Just after she had sketched the Doctor's frantic curled hair, she looked at her legs, hidden under the soft warm quilt. She wriggled her toes.

How good it was to start walking again. She was just able to make her first steps alone today.

And not only.

Clara's lips turned into a smile as she remembered...

* * *

 _ **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully I will able to update soon :D thill then, take care :D**_


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